Russia and Israel are the latest governments asked to join President Donald Trump’s expanding “Board of Peace,” the body he says will implement his plan for Gaza and mediate conflicts worldwide. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has received an invitation even as Russia’s nearly four‑year war on Ukraine continues. Israel has also been invited but the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered no comment on whether it will participate.
While France was a recent invitee to the board, sources close to French President Emmanuel Macron said the country would decline Trump’s invitation. According to the report, France “does not intend, at this stage, to give a favorable response” to the request, adding, “The charter goes beyond the framework of Gaza alone. It raises major questions, particularly regarding respect for the principles and structure of the United Nations, which must under no circumstances be called into question.”
The “Board of Peace” is a three‑tier structure created to supervise Gaza’s demilitarization and reconstruction under a 20‑point plan Trump unveiled last September. It would be chaired by the former president and would elevate U.S. and European figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former British prime minister Tony Blair, while relegating Palestinian representatives to the municipal level. Legal scholars and human rights advocates say this design marginalizes Palestinians and entrenches Western and Israeli interests.
Peskov said Moscow was seeking to “clarify all the nuances” of Trump’s offer. Putin has lauded Trump’s attempts to broker ceasefires, but the invitation arrives as Russian forces fight in Ukraine and as Moscow’s relations with Israel deteriorate over the Gaza assault. News agencies have reported that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is also on the invite list, highlighting the eclectic mix of states Trump hopes to enlist.
Netanyahu’s office subsequently said that the announcement of the Gaza Executive Board – the body subordinate to the Board of Peace – was not coordinated with Israel and ran contrary to government policy. The Prime Minister’s Office objected to the board’s composition, yet a source told Haaretz the public rebuke was largely performative and that Netanyahu had been aware of the planning. The report added that a U.S. official responded that the Gaza initiative is Washington’s project and that Netanyahu “can’t really go against us”.
Far‑right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has taken the opposition further. Speaking to settlers in the West Bank, he thanked Trump for securing hostage releases but said the plan for Gaza “is bad for the state of Israel” and must be shelved. Smotrich urged Netanyahu to dismantle the U.S.-led Civil Military Coordination Centre in Kiryat Gat, established to coordinate post‑war planning, arguing that foreign staff from countries like Egypt and Britain undermined Israel’s security. He demanded that Hamas be given only a brief ultimatum to disarm before Israeli forces storm the Strip and impose direct control, rejecting any role for Turkish or Qatari officials.
This rejection, along with the proposed board lacking any Palestinian representation, has received criticism from Jerusalem. The White House says the plan has now moved into its second phase, yet Hamas points out that Israel has not fulfilled earlier commitments such as opening the Rafah crossing and allowing temporary housing, while Israel argues that Hamas still has not returned the remains of an Israeli soldier.
Peskov’s acknowledgement of Russia’s invitation, coupled with Smotrich’s call to shut the coordination center, illustrates how Trump’s initiative has become a lightning rod. Critics argue that recruiting leaders enmeshed in wars from Ukraine to the Middle East while sidelining Gazans themselves risks entrenching conflicts rather than resolving them. As bombardment and blockade continue in the enclave, the idea of a peace panel dominated by foreign and pro‑Israeli interests underscores the chasm between diplomatic spectacle and the lived reality of Palestinians.
Alan Mosley is a historian, jazz musician, policy researcher for the Tenth Amendment Center, and host of It’s Too Late, “The #1 Late Night Show in America (NOT hosted by a Communist)!” New episodes debut every Wednesday night at 9ET across all major platforms; just search “AlanMosleyTV” or “It’s Too Late with Alan Mosley.”
