Washington, 20 February (H.S.): President Donald Trump orchestrated the inaugural convocation of his Board of Peace on Thursday, at the newly renamed Trump United States Institute of Peace, unveiling a cascade of financial and military commitments to resurrect Gaza from wartime devastation while issuing a stern 10-day ultimatum to Iran.
Monumental Funding and Troop Mobilization Unveiled
Trump proclaimed a U.S. infusion of $10 billion into the Board—deeming it a very small number compared to the cost of war—augmenting over $7 billion already pledged by nations including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait.
Qatar committed $1 billion, UAE $1.2 billion, while FIFA's Gianni Infantino vowed $2.5 million for soccer infrastructure to foster emotion, hope, and trust among Gaza's youth. Apollo Global's Marc Rowan delineated ambitions for 100,000 initial homes accommodating 500,000 residents, scaling to 400,000 units, insisting, This is not a problem of money... but of peace.
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto reaffirmed dispatching up to 8,000 troops for stabilization, echoed by Morocco's police contingents, Albania's forces, Egypt's training programs, and commitments from Kosovo and Kazakhstan; U.S. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers outlined deploying 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers starting in Rafah.
Palestinian technocrat Ali Shaath prioritized security restoration, youth employment, and utilities, as U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz highlighted aid surges: 4,200 weekly trucks, hunger plummeting from 30% to 1%, doubled water access, and halved child malnutrition.
Geopolitical Ambition Overshadows Ally Hesitations
Over 40 nations dispatched envoys—headlined by Hungary's Viktor Orbán and Argentina's Javier Milei—though key allies like UK, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Slovenia demurred full membership over fears of eclipsing the United Nations, attending merely as observers.
Trump chided absentees: Some are playing a little cute... You can’t play cute with me, while asserting the Board would almost be looking over the United Nations to ensure its viability, pledging U.S. financial bolstering. Norway, despite prior reticence, agreed to host a forthcoming summit, despite Trump's Nobel Prize snub lament.
The three-hour affair, emceed by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt amid an all-male speaker roster save herself, featured Trump's Hamas admonition—If they don’t give up weapons, they’ll be harshly met—and Iran prognosis: outcomes manifest over the next, probably, 10 days, potentially necessitating escalation beyond last year's strikes.
Vice President JD Vance lampooned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Munich pause, prompting her X riposte on his jest's silence.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
