Inaugural Meeting of the Board of Peace

President Donald Trump recently presided over the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C. The board was initiated as part of the President’s 20-point plan to end the conflict in Gaza.

In remarks at the event, President Trump announced that Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait have contributed more than $7 billion toward the relief package for Gaza.

Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania made pledges to send troops for a Gaza stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan committed to train police.

Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a largely destroyed city under Israeli control, where the United States hopes to begin reconstruction efforts.

Major General Jasper Jeffers, leader of the newly created international stabilization force, said plans call for 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers for Gaza. “With these first steps, we help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace,” Jeffers said.

A next critical part of the peace plan calls for the disarming of Hamas. Failure to do so, warned President Trump, would be dealt with “very harshly.”

The stakes are high, warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “There is no plan B for Gaza. Plan B is going back to war. No one here wants that. Plan A, the only path forward, is one that rebuilds Gaza in a way of enduring and sustainable peace, where everyone can live there side by side with one another and never worry again about returning to conflict, to war, to human suffering, and to destruction.”

The United States also continues to warn Tehran it will face American military action if it does not denuclearize, give up ballistic missiles and halt funding to extremist proxy groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. “They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region and they must make a deal. . . .[B]ad things will happen if it doesn't,” warned President Trump.

“The Board of Peace is proving that it does not just convene countries, it devises and implements and real solutions happen,” said President Trump.

“We're providing a model for how responsible sovereign nations can cooperate to take responsibility for confronting problems in their own regions. The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built.” The United States will do its part by contributing $10 billion to the Board of Peace, President Trump announced.

“Together we can achieve the dream of bringing lasting harmony to a region tortured by centuries of war, suffering and carnage.”