The grand ballroom in Davos, Switzerland, became the focal point of global diplomacy Thursday as leaders from seventeen nations convened for a historic signing. A hush fell over the room as prime ministers, presidents, and high-ranking officials from across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia were invited to the stage.
President Donald Trump, seated at the center of the arrangement, oversaw the proceedings as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called each leader forward to endorse the founding charter of the Gaza Board of Peace. The invitation list was deliberately expansive, a bold attempt to forge a coalition from nations often divided by geopolitical tensions.
Among those accepting Trump’s invitation were representatives from Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece, Israel, and China. The inclusion of such diverse and sometimes adversarial nations signaled the extraordinary ambition of this new initiative.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s participation was particularly noteworthy, arriving after initial reservations regarding the composition of the board’s executive committee. Concerns about the influence of Qatar and Turkey had previously cast a shadow over his potential involvement, but ultimately, he accepted the invitation.
Not all nations were willing to lend their names to the charter. The United Kingdom, for example, opted not to sign, with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper publicly citing deep skepticism about the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. She questioned the sincerity of a peace initiative involving a leader whose actions in Ukraine have demonstrably undermined peace efforts.
Trump is slated to chair the newly formed peace board, assembling a powerful team around him. This inner circle includes key figures like his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and prominent billionaire Marc Rowan – a blend of political acumen and financial influence.
The signing ceremony itself marked not an end, but a beginning. The true test of the Gaza Board of Peace will lie in its ability to translate this initial show of unity into tangible progress, navigating the complex and deeply entrenched conflicts that have plagued the region for decades.
