Board of Peace first meet sees aid pledges | Northwest Arkansas Democrat - Gazette

nwaonline.com · Feb 20, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package and five countries have agreed to deploy troops as part of an international stabilization force for the war-battered Palestinian territory.While lauding the pledges, Trump faces the unresolved challenge of disarming Hamas, a sticking point that threatens to delay or even derail the Gaza ceasefire plan that his administration notched as a major foreign policy win.The dollars promised, while significant, represent a small fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the territory decimated after two years of war between Israel and Hamas. While Trump praised allies for making the commitments of funding and troops, he offered no detail on when the pledges would be implemented."Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region)," Trump said. He added, "The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room."Trump also announced the U.S. was pledging $10 billion for the board but didn't specify what the money will be used for.It also was not clear where the U.S. money would come from -- a sizable pledge that would need to be authorized by Congress.The board was initiated as part of Trump's 20-point plan to end the conflict in Gaza. But since the October ceasefire, Trump's vision for the board has morphed and he wants it to have an even more ambitious remit -- one that will not only complete the Herculean task of bringing lasting peace between Israel and Hamas but also help resolve conflicts around the globe.But the Gaza ceasefire deal remains fragile, and Trump's expanded vision for the board has triggered fears the U.S. president is looking to create a rival to the United Nations.Trump, pushing back against the criticism, said the creation of his board would help make the U.N. viable in the future."Someday I won't be here. The United Nations will be," Trump said."I think it is going to be much stronger, and the Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly."Even as Trump spoke of the gathering as a triumph that would help bring a more persistent peace to the Middle East, he sent new warnings to Iran.Tensions are high between the United States and Iran as Trump has ordered one of the largest U.S. military buildups in the region in decades.One aircraft carrier group is already in the region and another is on the way.Trump has warned 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."We have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise bad things happen," Trump said.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 and mostly depopulated city under full Israeli control, where the U.S. administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts.The countries making pledges to fund reconstruction are Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait, Trump said.Major Gen. Jasper Jeffers, leader of the newly created international stabilization force, said plans call for 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers for Gaza.Nearly 50 countries and the European Union sent officials to Thursday's meeting. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined the board but took part as observers.Most countries sent high-level officials, but a few leaders -- including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentine President Javier Milei and Hungarian President Viktor Orbán -- traveled to Washington."Almost everybody's accepted, and the ones that haven't, will be," Trump offered. "And some are playing a little cute -- it doesn't work. You can't play cute with me."Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters this week that "at the international level, it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations." French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in a post on X that the European Commission should never have attended the meeting as it had no mandate to do so.More countries are "going through the process of getting on," in some cases, by getting approval from their legislatures, Trump told reporters later Thursday."I would love to have China and Russia. They've been invited," Trump said. "You need both."Official after official used their speaking turns at the gathering to heap praise on Trump for his ability to end conflicts.Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called him the "savior of South Asia," while others said that years of foreign policy efforts by his predecessor failed to do what Trump has done in the past year.Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Trump and others there deserved thanks for their collective efforts on Gaza. But Fidan, who said Turkey was also prepared to contribute troops to the stabilization force, cautioned that the situation remains precarious."The humanitarian situation remains fragile and ceasefire violations continue to occur," Fidan said. "A prompt, coordinated and effective response is therefore essential."Central to Thursday's discussions was assembling an international stabilization force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel and a cornerstone of the ceasefire deal.Hamas has provided little confidence that it is willing to move forward on disarmament. The administration is "under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization" but has been encouraged by what mediators have reported back, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at an army base in southern Israel, repeated his pledge that "there will be no reconstruction" of Gaza before demilitarization. His foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said during Thursday's gathering that "there must be a fundamental deradicalization process."Trump said Hamas has promised to disarm and would be met "very harshly" if it fails to do so. But he gave few details on how the difficult task would be carried out.Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that there is a "long ways to go" in Gaza.Information for this article was contributed by Josef Federman, Didi Tang, Farnoush Amiri and Nicole Winfield of The Associated Press.President Donald Trumpl listens during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)President Donald Trump speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)Argentina's President Javier Milei is seen during a Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)