US to Convene First Board of Peace Session on February 19

The United States is preparing to host the inaugural working meeting of the Board of Peace on February 19 in Washington, according to two Arab diplomats who spoke with The Times of Israel.

Invitations were sent Friday afternoon to the 26 countries represented on the panel, the diplomats confirmed, aligning with earlier reporting from Axios.

The planned date coincides with the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a timing that may complicate travel plans for several Muslim leaders.

The Board of Peace was formally introduced last month during a signing event held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Despite a broad invitation list, fewer than two dozen countries took part in the ceremony amid concerns over the initiative’s charter, which some view as an attempt to sideline the United Nations, and due to tensions between Washington and several Western capitals over Greenland.

US officials have since worked to reassure allies that the Board’s immediate focus will be limited to Gaza, following a UN Security Council resolution granting the panel authority to oversee postwar administration of the Strip for the next two years.

The February 19 meeting will serve as a fundraising conference for the initiative, which is expected to require several billion dollars to begin operations.

Uncertainty remains over the level of international participation, as many governments doubt whether Hamas will ultimately disarm and whether Israel will commit to further military withdrawal from Gaza.

While mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey have spent months discussing potential disarmament frameworks with Hamas, no official proposal has yet been submitted to the group.

The mediators’ current concept envisions a staged disarmament, beginning with heavier weaponry and offering financial incentives, employment, and amnesty to those who surrender arms; a process that could take months. One Arab diplomat noted that Israel is unlikely to support such a prolonged approach.

Compounding challenges, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza – the entity meant to assume governance from Hamas – has still not entered the Strip despite being established last month.

Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov has been working to assemble a humanitarian relief package that would give the committee the legitimacy and capacity needed to enter Gaza, the diplomats said.

However, he has struggled to gain Israeli cooperation, as Jerusalem insists that only life-saving supplies reach areas where Hamas remains active; regions where nearly all of Gaza’s two million residents currently live.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to be in Washington from February 18 to 22, overlapping with the Board of Peace meeting.

Netanyahu missed the Davos signing ceremony due to an outstanding international arrest warrant.

Although he has voiced opposition to the Trump administration’s appointment of Qatar and Turkey to the Board of Peace’s Gaza Executive Board, the diplomats suggested he will likely feel compelled to attend the Washington meeting, as skipping it while already in the city would be perceived as a diplomatic affront to the US president.

US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu are expected to meet at the White House the day before the Board of Peace session, according to one diplomat familiar with the planning.