The first meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace brought to the surface a tension that has simmered throughout the ceasefire negotiations: Arab and Muslim member nations are pressing the United States to rein in Israel, accusing it of undermining the ceasefire through near-daily military strikes in Gaza.
Arab and Muslim members of the board have called on Hamas to disarm — aligning with the core US and Israeli demand — but they have made equally clear that Israel’s withdrawal of its forces is just as important as Hamas’s disarmament. They are unwilling to accept a framework in which all obligations fall on one side while Israel continues military operations and delays withdrawal.
Israel has continued daily strikes in Gaza that it says are aimed at militants who threaten or attack its forces. Palestinians, including many civilians, continue to be killed. These strikes have become a flashpoint within the board, with Arab members viewing them as a fundamental contradiction of the ceasefire’s spirit, if not its letter.
Trump, who serves as self-appointed chairman of the board, has expressed confidence in both the ceasefire and Israel’s role in it. He claimed this week that member countries had pledged $5 billion for reconstruction and thousands of peacekeeping personnel — though those pledges have not been publicly documented. His administration has not publicly pressured Israel to halt the strikes.
The board’s ability to maintain cohesion among members with such divergent views on Israeli conduct will be an early and important test. If Arab and Muslim members conclude that the board is simply providing cover for a US-Israel agenda rather than genuinely balancing competing interests, their participation may become increasingly nominal — draining the institution of the broad legitimacy it needs to function.