Trump Formally Launches Board of Peace in Davos

President Donald Trump formally launched the Board of Peace on Thursday, signing the charter of the new international body during a high-profile ceremony that highlighted the administration's effort to reshape global diplomacy, with Gaza at the center of its early focus.

 Trump sat at a table at the front of the stage as officials from Bahrain and Morocco were invited forward to sign and ratify the board's founding charter, with about 20 other leaders following and signing the document in front of a backdrop displaying the organization's newly unveiled logo, reports CBS News.

"The charter is now in full force, and the Board of Peace is now an official international organization," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said from the stage as she called leaders forward one by one to sign.

The Trump administration has described the board as a mechanism to implement and oversee a U.S.-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza and guide the territory's reconstruction, while also positioning the body to address conflicts beyond the Middle East.

During the ceremony, Ali Shaath, head of a U.S.-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats designated to help oversee Gaza's postwar administration, told attendees that Gaza's border with Egypt will open next week, reports The Times of Israel.

Shaath described the Rafah crossing as a "lifeline" for Gazans, saying that its prolonged closure has trapped much of the population inside Gaza and prevented many Palestinians who fled the fighting from returning home.

Under the terms of the ceasefire framework, Israel was obligated to reopen the crossing. Israeli officials have publicly opposed doing so until Hamas returns the remains of the last hostage believed to be held in Gaza, which the group has not yet done.

The ceremony followed remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said Gaza is the board's immediate focus, and presentations by Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law.

Kushner outlined a reconstruction vision that would require Hamas to demilitarize and transfer authority to a single civilian governing body, presenting slides labeled "New Gaza" and outlining what he called demilitarization principles.

The signing ceremony took place amid lingering tensions over Israel's role in the new body. Israel did not participate in the event, though officials have said it intends to join.

A spokesman for Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is in Davos, confirmed that Herzog did not take part in the ceremony but declined to elaborate.

The structure of the Board of Peace has drawn scrutiny from diplomats and international law experts.

A draft charter circulated to national capitals in recent weeks grants sweeping authority to its chair, including veto power, control over the agenda and invitations, and the ability to dissolve the body and designate a successor.

The document specifies that Trump shall serve as inaugural chair.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of Trump's closest allies in Europe, publicly embraced the initiative after receiving an invitation to join.

"If Trump, then peace," Orban wrote on Facebook. "We have, of course, accepted this honorable invitation."

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Belarus, and Pakistan have also said they plan to join. Other U.S. allies, including France, Norway, and Sweden, have said they will not participate, raising concerns that the board could undermine the United Nations.

"This is a direct assault on the United Nations," said Marc Weller, a Cambridge University professor of international law who has worked on peace negotiations, calling the initiative an attempt to reshape the international system around a single leader, reports The New York Times.

The U.N. Security Council endorsed the creation of a Board of Peace in November, welcoming the U.S.-brokered plan to end the Gaza conflict and authorizing a transitional administration to oversee redevelopment through 2027.

But the Trump administration has since portrayed Gaza as only one component of a broader mission that would overlap with the U.N.'s traditional role in maintaining international peace and security.

"I wish the United Nations could do more," Trump said earlier this week. "I wish we didn't need a Board of Peace." Asked whether he envisioned the new body replacing the U.N., Trump said it "might," while adding that the organization still has significant potential.