Trump launches ‘Board of Peace’ with signing ceremony in Davos

• US President Donald Trump has launched his so-called “Board of Peace“, a body for resolving international conflicts with a $1bn price tag for permanent membership.
• The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza. But a draft of the charter does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory.

• Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem

  Dozens of Israeli settlers have descended upon Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the latest raid of the iconic site in occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Wafa news agency.

  Under the protection of Israeli soldiers, settlers streamed into the mosque’s compound to tour the grounds and perform Talmudic rituals. The mosque is considered Islam’s third-holiest site, while Jews believe the compound is where the biblical Jewish temples once stood.

  Settlers – usually under the eye of the military – have made a regular habit of storming the mosque in recent years, despite the Israeli government’s longstanding ban on Jews praying there.

  In 2024, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a crowd of thousands into the mosque, and also claimed he would build a Jewish synagogue at the compound if he could.

  People gather in front of the Dome of the Rock in Old Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, following the Friday noon prayer on August 2, 2024 [Hazem Bader/AFP]

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  A recap of Kushner’s Board of Peace presentation on Gaza’s future

  According to Jared Kushner, the Board of Peace’s development plans in Gaza include:

  • Working with Hamas on demilitarisation
  • Shifting Gaza’s dependence on foreign aid
  • Dividing Gaza into “residential” and “coastal tourism mixed” zones
  • Building 100,000 housing units in Rafah, as well as “New Gaza”

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  ‘We need investments’ in Gaza, Kushner says, showing plan for high-rise towers

  Jared Kushner has offered more details about the Board of Peace’s development plans in Gaza, without mentioning plans for a path towards a Palestinian state.

  The “number one thing is going to be security – obviously we’re working very closely with the Israelis to figure out a way to de-escalation, and the next phase is working with Hamas on demilitarisation,” Kushner said.

  “Without security, nobody’s going to make investments, nobody’s gonna come build there. We need investments in order to start giving jobs,” he said.

  The Board of Peace wants to use “free market principles” to shift Gaza’s dependence on foreign aid, Kushner said.

  Trump’s son-in-law also showed a map of the Gaza Strip divided into “residential” and “coastal tourism mixed” zones.

  The plan includes building 100,000 housing units in Rafah, as well as “New Gaza”, Kushner said, showing a rendering of high-rise coastal towers.

  Kushner, a real estate developer, has previously said Gaza has “very valuable” waterfront property.

  “In the Middle East, they build cities like this – two, three million people – in three years, so stuff like this is very doable if we make it happen,” Kushner said.

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  Peace is ‘a different deal than a business deal’: Kushner

  Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is speaking after the signing ceremony.

  Although everyone was “joyous and celebrating” after the initial Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal was signed, Kushner recalled that “[US special envoy] Steve [Witkoff] and I were panicking, saying, ‘What do we do next?’ How do we implement peace?

  “As you guys know, peace is a different deal than a business deal, because you’re changing a mindset,” Kushner said, calling the Gaza peace efforts “very entrepreneurial”.

  “We needed to think about what do we do next, how do we change the habits, how do we change the behaviours?”

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  What did Trump say at the Board of Peace signing?

  In a nearly 20-minute speech before he signed the Board of Peace charter, Trump powered through some of his favourite talking points:

  • The president said, “We are going to be very successful in Gaza,” adding that he would ensure Gaza was demilitarised and “beautifully rebuilt”.
  • He also falsely claimed that the US “maintained the Gaza ceasefire, delivered record levels of humanitarian aid” and “you don’t hear” about Palestinians in Gaza starving any more. Israel has regularly violated the ceasefire, killing more than 480 Palestinians, and impedes aid delivery.
  • He said the world was “richer, safer and much more peaceful” than it was before he began his second term, ticking off a list of world conflicts he claims to have successfully ended.
  • Next up on Trump’s list is Hezbollah in Lebanon. “We have to do something about that,” he said.
  • Trump also criticised the United Nations, joking that it has “tremendous potential” but that “I never spoke to the United Nations about any of” the eight conflicts he sought to fix.
  • As the first year of his second term has just ended, the president returned to his refrain that “no administration in history has achieved such a sweeping turnaround in 12 months time” and bragged about the US economy.

  

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  Rubio praises Trump’s ‘courage to dream the impossible’

  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken after Trump at the Board of Peace conference in Davos, as the US president sat at the centre of a gathering of representatives of 19 countries that have signed on to the charter.

  Rubio said Trump is willing to speak to anyone in what he described as the pursuit of peace.

  “We are here today because of President Trump’s vision,” Rubio said.

  He added that “a few months ago, people thought it was impossible to solve”, referring to ongoing conflicts, and said that “all these hostages being held [in Gaza] – nobody thought that would come to a resolution”.

  Rubio went on to argue that existing institutions had been unable to act, saying Trump instead had “the vision and the courage to dream the impossible”.

  

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  Board of Peace charter signed by Trump, other world leaders

  Trump has been joined at a table next to the podium by leaders from Bahrain and Morocco to kick off the signing.

  “What we’re doing is so important,” Trump said. “This is something I really wanted to be here and do, and I could think of no better place.”

  Trump took out a pen, signed a sheath of documents and held them out to the camera with a smile. Other world leaders then began walking over in pairs to sign.

  

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  Trump praises Iran strikes, repeats claims he stopped eight wars

  US President Donald Trump has repeated his claim that he has settled eight wars since returning to office.

  Speaking in Davos about Iran, Trump pointed to US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites last June, claiming they had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capacity. He added that Tehran “does want to talk, and will talk”.

  Trump also referred to US operations against ISIL (ISIS) in Syria, saying “many good things are happening,” and claimed that threats to Europe, the US and the Middle East “are really calming down”.

  “Just one year ago, the world was actually on fire,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t know it.”