President Donald Trump’s newly established Peace Council will hold its first meeting on Thursday, with administration officials and participating countries likely to view the meeting as a step toward implementing the next phase of the ceasefire and reconstruction in Gaza, rather than a moment likely to deliver an immediate breakthrough.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement: “President Trump is proud to welcome representatives from more than forty countries to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace on Thursday for an important announcement on the Council of Peace’s actions aimed at building lasting peace in the Middle East. Since the President and his team ended the war between Israel and Hamas last October, we have maintained the ceasefire, delivered historic levels of humanitarian assistance, and secured the return of every hostage living and deceased. consequent international agency in history.”
At least 40 countries are expected to attend the opening session in Washington, where Trump is expected to chair discussions on a multibillion-dollar reconstruction framework, humanitarian coordination and the possible deployment of an international stabilization force.
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President Donald Trump holds up a signed charter of the Council of Peace during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
Officials said representatives will come from across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, and speakers are expected to include President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, Tony Blair, Ambassador Mike Waltz, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, High Representative Nickolay Mladenov and other participants.
Trump unveiled the initiative last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The initial members include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkey, Israel, Hungary, Morocco, Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Argentina, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
On Sunday, Trump said the initiative’s members had already pledged $5 billion to rebuild Gaza and would deploy personnel to international stabilization and policing efforts. “The Council of Peace will prove to be the most influential international body in history, and it is my honor to serve as its chairman,” Trump wrote in a social media post announcing the commitments.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has announced a plan to train a future police force in Gaza, while Indonesia has deployed thousands of troops for a future international stabilization mission expected to deploy later this year.
The United Arab Emirates, a founding member of the initiative, said it plans to continue its humanitarian involvement in Gaza.
“The UAE remains committed to scaling up its humanitarian efforts to support the Palestinians in Gaza and to promoting lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, highlighting its role as a founding member of the Peace Council and part of the Gaza Executive Council.
Even as Gulf and regional partners are ready to finance humanitarian needs, long-term reconstruction remains tied to security conditions on the ground.
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Hamas terrorists stand in formation during the transfer of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Disarmament remains the central test
Analysts say the significance of the meeting will depend less on key announcements and more on whether participants align themselves with the unresolved core issue shaping Gaza’s future: the disarmament of Hamas.
Ghaith al-Omari, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, argued that the meeting’s credibility will depend on whether participants unite around a clear position on disarmament. “Unless there is a joint statement that clearly says that Hamas must disarm – for me the meeting would be a failure,” he said, because it would show that “the US cannot get everyone on the same page.”
Financing is also expected to dominate discussions, although diplomats and analysts warn that commitments may not translate into large-scale reconstruction anytime soon.
John Hannah, a senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), also warned that early financial commitments are unlikely to translate into immediate large-scale reconstruction. “I can’t imagine that much or any of that initial pledge will go towards the actual reconstruction of Gaza in the long or even medium term. Too many parties will not support this, pending real progress on the core issue of disarmament and demilitarization of Hamas,” he said.
Hannah added that the funding challenge remains enormous. “It was a big open question: How are you going to finance this huge bill that’s going to have to be paid over the next few years?” he said. “I’ve been watching this for 35 years, and if I had $100 for every time a major Arab country promised aid to the Palestinians but didn’t deliver, I’d be a relatively rich man.”
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet on February 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Avi Ohayon/GPO/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Netanyahu signs despite the tensions between Turkey and Qatar
The initiative has also highlighted the political tensions surrounding Israel’s participation, especially given the involvement of Turkey and Qatar.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed the agreement last week during a meeting with Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, formally placing Israel within the framework despite previous Israeli objections to Ankara and Doha playing a central role in Gaza’s future.
Hannah said Netanyahu’s decision reflects strategic calculations related to Washington. “I think the prime minister doesn’t want to anger the president. He’s prioritizing his really good strategic relationship with Trump over this tactical disagreement over Turkey and Qatar,” he said. “The prime minister is just making a basic calculation of where Israel’s interests lie here and trying to balance these competing factors.”
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President Donald Trump and several foreign leaders attend the signing ceremony of the Gaza Peace Charter in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026. (Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images)
European allies express legal concerns
Outside Gaza, the initiative has raised concerns among European allies, many of whom have refused to join the administration.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, European leaders argued that the Peace Council’s mandate appears to diverge from the UN Security Council resolution that initially supported a Gaza-specific body.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said the resolution envisioned a time-limited structure directly linked to Gaza and the UN, but the current governance charter no longer reflects those provisions. “The UN Security Council resolution provided for a Peace Council for Gaza… it provided that it would be limited in time to 2027… and referred to Gaza, while the Statute of the Peace Council makes no reference to any of these matters,” she said. “So I think there is a Security Council resolution, but the Peace Council is not reflecting it.”
In response, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz criticized what he described as excessive concern over the initiative, argued that the status quo in Gaza was unsustainable, and attacked what he said was “hand-wringing” about the Council of Peace – saying the cycle of war with Hamas in power must be broken.
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President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff participate in a charter announcement before the Peace Council in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026. (Denis Balibouse/Reuters)
No replacement for the United Nations
Despite European unrest, analysts say the Peace Council is unlikely to replace the UN system.
Al-Omari rejected the idea that the initiative poses a serious institutional challenge, arguing that major powers remain deeply invested in the existing multilateral structure.
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President Donald Trump participates in a charter announcement for his Board of Peace initiative in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Hannah agreed, saying the government appears to see Thursday’s meeting primarily as incremental progress rather than a major breakthrough. “The way the government is looking at this is just a sign of continued progress and momentum, and not of any kind of major breakthrough,” he concluded.
