The New Board of Peace

by Victoria Miele ’28 on January 29, 2026

News

On Jan. 22, President Donald Trump officially inaugurated his new Board of Peace, officially known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. The administration’s intention for the board is to stop the conflict in Gaza; however, it has expanded its mission to promoting world peace, and the charter draft of the invitation to join the board has no mention of the Gaza Strip.

Trump has appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, diplomat Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, former Prime Minister of the U.K. Sir Tony Blair, Marc Rowan, Ajay Banga, and Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel to the Executive Board.

Trump invited dozens of countries to be part of the new board, but a concerning number of United States allies have not accepted. The board has support throughout many Middle Eastern countries, as well as some African and South American countries, but almost no countries in Europe or the European Union have decided to join. The price for a permanent seat on the board is $1 billion.

The deadline for joining the board was the World Economic Forum, which was held in Davos, Switzerland, and fewer than 20 countries were present at the board’s signing ceremony. The only European country there was Hungary, which has notoriously been one of Russia’s closest allies.

Countries currently in the Board of Peace include: the United States, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Indonesia.

Originally, the plan was meant to be focused specifically on helping rebuild the Gaza Strip, as laid out by the 20-point plan that the U.S. brokered in September 2025. Since the original idea of the board was introduced, it has expanded its goals to be known as an “international organization” which intends to help promote peace in “areas affected or threatened by conflict.”

President Trump is set to be the chairman of the board indefinitely, indicating his position on the board could extend beyond his presidential term.

Kushner said that a huge component of their plan for restoring peace in Gaza is having Hamas demilitarize. He says the U.S. will enforce that section of the cease-fire agreement, but did not specify any further.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has reportedly said he supports the creation of the board, but he has also shown his frustration at the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar. There were no Israeli representatives present at the signing of the board in Davos, despite Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, being in Davos at the time.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has also expressed interest in joining the board, but says he must first discuss the financial details with the U.S. president. Carney has been incredibly public recently, specifically in Davos, about his frustration with the ways the U.S. has been conducting international business and “ripping up the global rules-based order.” Carney was not at the board’s signing. Canada’s invitation to the board has since been rescinded.

Concerns for many countries include that an invitation was sent to Russia. Many countries, such as Ukraine, find it difficult to work with Russia on a board meant to represent peace when their country is currently at war. Additionally, there are concerns about what the board will mean for the United Nations, and many countries, specifically in Europe, are trying to maintain loyalty to the U.N. and not do anything to disrupt its fragile balance.

Bursting the PC Bubble: New Israeli Prime Minister Elected

by The Cowl Editor on March 5, 2020

News

Netanyahu has served as Israeli prime minister since 2009. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org.

by Addison Wakelin ’22

News Staff

After a continuous year-long political deadlock, the long-term Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed a victory from preliminary results and exit polls. This was a major win for his party’s attempt to try and secure its majority in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. This win is also significant for PM Netanyahu’s party over contentious rival Benny Gantz and his centrist Blue and White party.

This had been Israel’s third election in less than one year, with elections last April and September, due to both of the main party leaders unable to win the majority in the nation’s parliament system the last two election cycles.

Recently, Israeli media has reported that 93 percent of votes have been counted.

The most recent exit polls state that Netanyahu’s Likud party was projected to win 36 to 37 seats, whereas Gantz’s Blue and White party was projected to win 32 to 34 seats. It has been projected that his Likud party, along with its right-wing allies, are forecasted to win 59 seats, although this would leave the party two short of a majority.

Last week, Netanyahu spoke in Tel Aviv about the election. He stated, “Our opponents said, ‘the Netanyahu era is over.’ But together we flipped the story. We turned lemons to lemonade. We must avoid any more elections. It’s time to heal the rifts. It’s time for reconciliation.”

Gantz also spoke in Tel Aviv to his supporters in response to the exit polls. Gantz stated, “Perhaps this is not the result you are wishing for…but let’s look at the glass half full.” Gantz remains optimistic that there is a possibility that his own coalition, which identifies as both centrist and centrist-left, may have a chance to win the parliamentary majority needed to form a government.

Throughout this past election, Gantz has targeted not only Netanyahu’s corruption charges, but also the general fatigue that Gantz cites as a major problem in Netanyahu’s ability to properly lead Israel.

Netanyahu is hoping to seek a fourth consecutive term in office (his fifth overall) as he tries to grasp onto power, while simultaneously battling significant corruption charges.

Over the last three years, PM Netanyahu has been under an ongoing investigation by Israeli prosecutors into corruption charges; those charges include breach of trust, bribery, and fraud. Further, he is being prosecuted for the acceptance of gifts from wealthy friends along with meeting with major media figures to negotiate positive media coverage of himself.

Netanyahu has continuously denied any wrongdoing relating to these charges and will not step down, as he believes he can still proudly lead Israel while also dealing with court matters.

Despite these ongoing corruption charges, Netanyahu continues to present himself as the most viable Israeli leader. He further stated in that same Tel Aviv rally, “This is a victory against all the odds, because we stood against powerful forces.”

Netanyahu has repeatedly suggested that the fate of Israel’s political institution will be revitalized through his party’s ability to become the parliamentary majority.

However, the future of Israel’s parliamentary majority, along with Israel’s own political fate, both remain largely contested in reviving its paralyzing, lengthy deadlock. It remains uncertain if another election for parliamentary majority will occur, or if the two parties will have to compromise to reach an agreement to reestablish a coherent Israeli government.