Trump's Board of Peace: The Improbable Coalition Tasked with Rebuilding Gaza

In Tel Aviv's Hostages Square on Tuesday, the clock that had counted the days since October 7, 2023, finally stopped. After 843 days, 12 hours, and 5 minutes, the remains of the last Israeli hostage, 24-year-old special forces policeman Ran Gvili, were recovered from Gaza. The moment marked not just the end of a painful chapter for Israeli families, but the removal of the final obstacle to what President Donald Trump has branded his most ambitious foreign policy project: the Board of Peace.

Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump unveiled the Board of Peace as a formal international organisation, signing a charter alongside leaders from Argentina, Hungary, Qatar, and roughly fifteen other nations. The body's immediate task: overseeing Phase Two of the Gaza ceasefire, which includes demilitarisation, the establishment of a new governing authority, and the reconstruction of a territory reduced to rubble.

What Is the Board of Peace?

The concept is quintessentially Trumpian: bold in ambition, vague in detail, and dependent on relationships more than institutions. The Board of Peace brings together nations willing to invest political and financial capital in stabilising conflict zones, starting with Gaza but with aspirations to address conflicts worldwide.

The membership is eclectic. Qatar, which played a crucial mediating role in hostage negotiations, sits alongside Hungary's Viktor Orbán, one of Europe's most vocal critics of conventional multilateralism. Notably absent are the major European powers, many of which have been hesitant to participate in what critics see as a vehicle for Trump's personal diplomacy.

The European Hesitation

For Dutch policymakers and their European counterparts, the Board of Peace presents an uncomfortable dilemma. On one hand, the EU has long advocated for a two-state solution and invested heavily in Palestinian institution-building. On the other, participating in a Trump-led initiative risks legitimising an approach that has largely sidelined European concerns.

The Netherlands has traditionally been one of Israel's strongest supporters in Europe while also maintaining significant humanitarian commitments in the Palestinian territories. How The Hague navigates the Board of Peace, whether to engage, observe, or remain at arm's length, will say much about Dutch foreign policy priorities in the Trump era.

The Sceptics Have Questions

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's point man on the ceasefire, announced the beginning of Phase Two in mid-January, but progress has been sluggish. The fundamental questions remain unanswered: Who will govern Gaza? How will reconstruction be funded? What role, if any, will the Palestinian Authority play? And can any arrangement hold without addressing the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

International observers note that Trump's approach prioritises deal-making over the structural reforms that previous administrations considered essential. There is no mention of Palestinian statehood in the Board of Peace framework, and critics argue the initiative is designed more to produce photo opportunities than lasting solutions.

A Test of Unconventional Diplomacy

Yet for all the scepticism, the ceasefire has held. The hostages have been returned. And the Board of Peace, whatever its limitations, represents an attempt to create a coalition of the willing at a moment when traditional multilateral bodies remain paralysed by great power rivalries.

Trump, asked at a New Year's event what his resolution would be for 2026, answered simply: "Peace on Earth." Whether the Board of Peace can deliver on even a fraction of that ambition in Gaza will be the first test of an experiment that defies conventional foreign policy wisdom, and that's precisely why its architect believes it might work.