Trump seeks $1 billion buy-in for permanent seats on Board of Peace for Gaza? White House responds

United States president Donald Trump is seeking to assemble a powerful new international body under his personal chairmanship, inviting governments to join a “Board of Peace” whose draft charter links long-term membership to a cash contribution of more than $1 billion. While conceived within a United Nations–endorsed framework for Gaza’s reconstruction, the body’s design suggests ambitions that extend far beyond the Palestinian enclave.

What does the Draft Charter on Gaza Peace Board read?

According to a draft charter for the proposed group seen by Bloomberg, President Donald Trump would serve as its inaugural chairman and would decide on who is invited to be members. Decisions would be taken by a majority, with each member state present getting one vote, but all would be subject to the chairman’s approval.

“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force,” the draft says.

A global body with a price of entry

Letters of invitation have been sent by Donald Trump to selected heads of government, asking them to participate in the proposed Board of Peace. Although the initiative was initially envisaged as part of a UN-backed effort to oversee post-war reconstruction and transitional governance in Gaza, a draft charter reviewed by Bloomberg indicates that the board would have a far wider, potentially global remit.

Under the charter, member states would ordinarily serve renewable three-year terms at the discretion of the chairman. However, an explicit exemption applies to those willing to underwrite the institution at scale.

As the document states: “The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.”

The language, dense with legal formality, leaves little doubt that financial commitment is central to institutional permanence.

Governance by invitation — and approval

The proposed structure places exceptional authority in the hands of the chairman. According to the draft, Trump would serve as the board’s inaugural leader, determine invitations to membership, and retain final approval over decisions taken by majority vote. Each participating state would hold a single vote when present, but outcomes would remain subject to the chairman’s assent.

While the charter outlines how funds are to be raised, it offers scant detail on how they will be deployed. Its finance clause merely notes: “Funding for the expenses of the Board of Peace shall be through voluntary funding from Member States, other States, organizations, or other sources.”

This absence of specificity is likely to raise questions among potential contributors about oversight, accountability and end use.

From Gaza mechanism to UN rival?

The Board of Peace was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in November as one component of Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza. Yet the charter itself makes no reference to Gaza, despite the UN resolution granting the board a two-year mandate, extendable to December 2027.

Instead, the preamble hints at a broader philosophical departure from existing multilateral frameworks. It declares that “durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed,” before calling for “a more nimble and effective international peace-building body.” The language echoes Trump’s long-standing criticism of the UN as cumbersome and ineffectual.

Oversight of Gaza’s transition

Operational responsibility for Gaza remains central to the board’s immediate purpose. Following months of fragile ceasefire, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of phase two of the administration’s plan: “the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza,” alongside the creation of “a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration.”

The board was formally constituted the following day, Trump confirmed on Truth Social.

Day-to-day management of Gaza would fall to a separate panel of Palestinian technocrats, led by former Palestinian Authority official Ali Sha’ath, operating under the board’s supervision.

An executive board of global figures

The White House has already named the seven initial members of the Board of Peace’s executive board, effectively its operating committee. They include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, World Bank president Ajay Banga, financier Marc Rowan, deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel, and Witkoff himself.

Further announcements are expected at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which begins on Monday. Trump has said the board will include the “most important leaders of the most important nations.”

Invitations and early responses

Donald Trump’s invitation letters underscore the uniqueness he ascribes to the project.

In one letter shared publicly by Argentina's Javier Milei, the US president wrote: “This Board will be one of a kind, there has never been anything like it!”

Invitations have also been sent to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, with Ottawa confirming Carney’s acceptance.

What did White House respond?

The White House sought to push back on reports of a price tag for joining the Board of Peace, with its official Rapid Response 47 account posting on X: “This is misleading. There is no minimum membership fee to join the Board of Peace.”

The statement, however, added a caveat, saying the framework “simply offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity.”

While rejecting the notion of a fixed or minimum fee, the White House did not clarify how such “deep commitment” would be assessed. It remains unclear whether financial contributions, security guarantees, or other forms of support could still play a role in determining eligibility for permanent membership, even in the absence of an explicit monetary threshold.

Separately, when asked about the Bloomberg report, the US State Department told Reuters that it was referring reporters to earlier social media posts by President Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff, none of which cited any membership fee or dollar figure.