Donald Trump has described his proposed “Board of Peace”—the body that will oversee the transition and reconstruction of the war-wrought Gaza Strip—as “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place.” But that prestige apparently comes with a hefty price tag.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
Countries will have to cough up at least $1 billion in order to secure a permanent seat on the board, according to a draft charter, while other members will have three-year terms. Bloomberg first reported on the high fee, and The Times of Israel posted a copy of the draft charter text.
“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force,” the draft reportedly says.
It’s unclear how exactly the contribution will be used. The Washington Post reported, citing an unnamed senior European official, that European leaders are in talks over Trump’s ambitions for the board, which appear to be more expansive than just settling the Gaza conflict. The official also reportedly said that despite Europe’s commitments to the Strip, there’s little appetite to significantly fund an organization that advances a Trump-led world order, amid speculation that the Board of Peace is being devised as an alternative to the United Nations, which the U.S. under Trump has increasingly been hostile to.
Bloomberg added, citing unnamed sources, that most countries that could have joined the board have found it unacceptable that the draft appears to suggest Trump—who would be the board’s inaugural chair—would manage its funds.
In dispelling claims about the fee, the White House’s rapid response account on X said the fee “simply offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity.” An unnamed U.S. official also told Bloomberg that all money the board raises will be used to accomplish its mandate to rebuild Gaza.
Invitations to join Trump’s board were sent out to several countries over the weekend, including India, Jordan, Türkiye, and Egypt. Some of them, particularly those allied with Trump, swiftly accepted the invite: Argentina President Javier Milei said it was an “honor” to be invited as he posted Trump’s invitation letter on social media, as did Hungary’s Viktor Orbán.
Others, however, were more circumspect with the invitation. British paper The Times of London reported that U.K. ministers are concerned about where funds would go and what legal framework the board is using to operate. Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Sunday that Trump had approached him about the board weeks back but said that “with respect to the specifics of the ‘Board of Peace’, we haven’t gone through all the details of the structure, how it’s going to work, what financing is for, etc. … And so we will work through those in the coming days.”
On Friday, the White House announced the board’s founding members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, and World Bank Group president Ajay Banga. A spokesperson for Blair told Bloomberg that he wasn’t involved in determining board membership and that questions about the high fee should be directed to the Trump Administration.
The Trump Administration has also said that the board “will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza,” but a review of the draft charter text makes no explicit mention of Gaza. The draft charter describes the board as “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
The U.N. Security Council in November adopted a resolution backing Trump’s proposed board to set the framework and coordinate funding for Gaza’s redevelopment, though it only authorized the board’s mandate until 2027.
Trump’s plans for the Board of Peace also come as he has threatened to take over Greenland, warning late Sunday in a reported letter to Norway—one of several countries the U.S. sanctioned with tariffs over a show of support to Greenland—that after not receiving last year’s Nobel Prize, he “no longer feel[s] an obligation to think purely of Peace.”