Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza to require $1bn payment for permanent membership

Members of US President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” a committee set up to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, will be granted permanent membership only if they make a payment of $1 billion, according to a US official.

All funds raised through the initiative are expected to be directed toward rebuilding Gaza. The official said the structure is designed to avoid what was described as excessive salaries and administrative waste common in some international organizations.

Participation on the board does not require financial contributions. However, members who do not pay the $1 billion fee will be limited to three-year terms, while contributors will receive permanent seats.

The Trump-chaired board is expected to include several high-profile political and economic figures. Among those named are former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Leaders of multiple countries have also confirmed receiving invitations to join the panel, which Trump has described as the “greatest and most prestigious board ever assembled.”

The payment requirement was first reported by Bloomberg.

The board is a central element of a United Nations-backed US plan aimed at demilitarizing and rebuilding Gaza after two years of devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas. Each board member is expected to oversee a specific portfolio considered critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term recovery.

Notably, the board does not include representation from the Palestinian Authority, the Hamas rival that governs parts of the occupied West Bank and is widely expected to assume control of Gaza following extensive political and administrative reforms.

Other members of the board include Trump’s foreign policy envoy Steve Witkoff, deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, billionaire businessman Marc Rowan, and World Bank president Ajay Banga.

Under the broader US framework, day-to-day governance of Gaza would be managed by a Palestinian technocratic committee. Supporting this structure would be a separate “Gaza executive board,” made up of officials from Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, as well as select members of the Board of Peace and the technocratic committee.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly opposed the involvement of Turkey and Qatar in key roles within the initiative. He said the board’s structure was not coordinated with Israel and conflicted with its policy, reiterating long-standing Israeli accusations that both countries support Hamas.