UNITED NATIONS
\nAhead of this week\u2019s meeting of the Board of Peace, President Donald Trump has announced that members of his newly established U.S.-led body have pledged $5 billion for the reconstruction of Gaza and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the war-shattered territory.
\nTrump plans to host the board\u2019s inaugural meeting on Feb. 19 at the \u201cDonald J. Trump Institute of Peace\u201d in Washington, D.C., where, he said in his Sunday Truth Social post, the pledge will be formally announced.
\n\u201cVery importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cThe Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman.\u201d
\nTrump\u2019s post did not specify which member nations were making the pledges or would contribute personnel. However, media reported that Indonesia\u2019s military expects up to 8,000 of its troops to be ready by the end of June for a potential deployment to Gaza as part of a humanitarian and peace mission. It\u2019s the first firm commitment that Trump has received,.
\nRebuilding the Palestinian Gaza Strip is projected to be an immense undertaking. Estimates from the United Nations, World Bank and European Union place reconstruction costs at roughly $70 billion, following more than two years of devastating Israeli bombardment that left much of the territory in ruins.
\nPakistan, whose Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also attend the Board meeting, is a founding member of the Board. But Islamabad has not yet announced its commitment in this connection. The UN-endorsed Board initiative is tied to the Oct. 10 U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the prolonged conflict.
\nThe agreement mandated the creation of an armed international stabilization force which is to be tasked with maintaining security and ensuring the disarmament of Palestinian organization Hamas \u2014 a key demand of Israel.So far, few countries have publicly expressed interest in joining such a force, and Thursday\u2019s meeting might make things clear in terms of individual commitments.
\nIt is unclear at this time as to how many of the board\u2019s more than 20 members will attend Thursday\u2019s meeting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Trump at the White House last week, is not expected to participate.
\nSeveral European countries have declined Trump\u2019s invitation, including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. Trump revoked Canada\u2019s invitation after Prime Minister Mark Carney voiced opposition to tariffs the US president had proposed against European allies in his bid to acquire Greenland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS Ahead of this week\u2019s meeting of the Board of Peace, President Donald Trump has announced that members of his newly established U.S.-led body have pledged $5 billion for the reconstruction of Gaza and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the war-shattered territory. Trump plans to host the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-531768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n