Plans are being put together at President Donald Trump’s direction to hold a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, for the Gaza Board of Peace, Fox News confirmed on Tuesday.
Bloomberg was first to report the plans.
The Trump administration began sending invitations to countries over the weekend, asking them to become founding members of the so-called Board of Peace.
‘Dozens’ of countries have been invited to join the board, Fox News confirmed. The official invites went out Friday.
Trump extended invitations to leaders from Russia, Belarus, China, Ukraine, India, Canada, Argentina, Jordan, Egypt, Hungary and Vietnam, among others.
Some invited countries have raised concerns about the terms of the proposed Gaza peace board, as participation would come with a substantial financial commitment, according to Bloomberg.
European allies are seeking to adjust the proposal and organize a joint response, including enlisting Arab nations to push for changes to the $1 billion permanent membership fee, the outlet reported.
When questioned on Tuesday about French President Emmanuel Macron seemingly signaling reluctance to accept the invitation, Trump said, ‘Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon. So, you know, that’s alright.’
‘What I’ll do is if they feel like hostile, I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join,’ Trump said. ‘But, he doesn’t have to join.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also pushed back on the proposal after Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi were named as appointed members to a separate ‘Gaza Executive Board.’
Netanyahu’s office said the move was not coordinated with Israel and ‘runs contrary to its policy.’
The White House said on Friday that Trump will chair the Board of Peace and be joined by a group of senior political, diplomatic and business figures, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and billionaire Marc Rowan, among others.
