WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� announced Thursday at the that nine members have toward a Gaza relief package and five countries have agreed to deploy troops as part of an international stabilization force for the war-battered Palestinian territory.
While lauding the pledges, Trump faces the unresolved challenge of , a sticking point that threatens to delay or even derail the Gaza ceasefire plan that his administration notched as a major foreign policy win.
The dollars promised, while significant, represent a small fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to decimated after two years of . While Trump praised allies for making the commitments of funding and troops, he offered no detail on when the pledges would be implemented.
鈥淓very dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),鈥� Trump said. He added, 鈥淭he Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room.”
Trump also announced the U.S. was pledging $10 billion for the board but didn鈥檛 specify what the money will be used for. It also was not clear where the U.S. money would come from 鈥� a sizable pledge that would need to be authorized by Congress.
Trump touches on Iran and the United Nations
The board was initiated as part of Trump’s to end the conflict in Gaza. But since the October ceasefire, Trump’s vision for the board has morphed and he wants it to have an 鈥� one that will not only complete the Herculean task of bringing lasting peace between Israel and Hamas but also help resolve conflicts around the globe.
But the Gaza ceasefire deal remains fragile, and Trump’s expanded vision for the board has triggered fears the U.S. president is looking to .
Trump, pushing back against the criticism, said the creation of his board would help make the U.N. viable in the future.
鈥淪omeday I won鈥檛 be here. The United Nations will be,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淚 think it is going to be much stronger, and the Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.鈥�
Even as Trump spoke of the gathering as a triumph that would help bring a more persistent peace to the Middle East, he sent new warnings to Iran.
between the United States and Iran as Trump has ordered one of the largest in decades.
is already in the region and . Trump has warned Tehran it will face American military action if it does not denuclearize, give up ballistic missiles and halt funding to extremist proxy groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
鈥淲e have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise bad things happen,鈥� Trump said.
Which countries pledged troops and funding
Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania made pledges to send troops for a Gaza stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan committed to train police.
Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a largely destroyed and mostly depopulated city under full Israeli control, where the U.S. administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts.
The countries making pledges to fund reconstruction are Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait, Trump said.
Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, leader of the newly created international stabilization force, said plans call for 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers for Gaza.
鈥淲ith these first steps, we help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace,鈥� Jeffers said.
Some US allies remain skeptical
and the European Union sent officials to Thursday鈥檚 meeting. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined the board but took part as observers.
Most countries sent high-level officials, but a few leaders 鈥� including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentine President Javier Milei and Hungarian President Viktor Orb谩n 鈥� traveled to Washington.
鈥淎lmost everybody鈥檚 accepted, and the ones that haven鈥檛, will be,” Trump offered. “And some are playing a little cute 鈥� it doesn鈥檛 work. You can鈥檛 play cute with me.鈥�
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters this week that 鈥渁t the international level, it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.鈥� French Foreign Minister Jean-No毛l Barrot said in a post on X that the European Commission should never have attended the meeting as it had no mandate to do so.
More countries are 鈥済oing through the process of getting on,鈥� in some cases, by getting approval from their legislatures, Trump told reporters later Thursday.
鈥淚 would love to have China and Russia. They鈥檝e been invited,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淵ou need both.鈥�
Official after official used their speaking turns at the gathering to heap praise on Trump for his ability to end conflicts. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called him the 鈥渟avior of South Asia,鈥� while others said that years of foreign policy efforts by his predecessor failed to do what Trump has done in the past year.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Trump and others there deserved thanks for their collective efforts on Gaza. But Fidan, who said Turkey also was prepared to contribute troops to the stabilization force, cautioned that the situation remains precarious.
鈥淭he humanitarian situation remains fragile and ceasefire violations continue to occur,鈥� Fidan said. 鈥淎 prompt, coordinated and effective response is therefore essential.鈥�
Questions about disarming Hamas
Central to Thursday’s discussions was assembling an international stabilization force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel and a cornerstone of the ceasefire deal.
Hamas has provided little confidence that it is willing to move forward on disarmament. The administration is 鈥渦nder no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization鈥� but has been encouraged by what mediators have reported back, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a dusty army base in southern Israel, repeated his pledge that 鈥渢here will be no reconstruction鈥� of Gaza before demilitarization. His foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said during Thursday鈥檚 gathering that 鈥渢here must be a fundamental deradicalization process.鈥�
Trump said Hamas has promised to disarm and would be met 鈥渧ery harshly鈥� if it fails to do so. But he gave few details on how the difficult task would be carried out.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that there is a 鈥渓ong ways to go鈥� in Gaza.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of work that remains that will require the contribution of every nation state represented here today,” Rubio said.
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Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Didi Tang in Washington, Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed reporting.
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