Trump's Board of Peace comes with $1 billion entry fee: Here's how paid membership model works | Explained

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 13, 2026. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

The US is expanding Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, inviting at least eight more countries to join a global body aimed at overseeing Gaza’s future and broader conflict resolution. Membership costs $1 billion for permanence; two nations have accepted so far.

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Washington’s plan to shape Gaza’s future through a new, Trump-led global body is quietly expanding beyond the Middle East. According to officials and public statements, at least eight additional countries have now confirmed that they have been invited to join US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, signalling ambitions that stretch well beyond supervising a Gaza ceasefire.

Two countries have already agreed to participate. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accepted the invitation, his foreign minister said, while Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam has also confirmed his acceptance through an official statement. Several others are still weighing their options.

Membership with a price tag

Details of the board’s charter have not been made public, but a US official told reporters that countries can secure permanent membership by contributing $1 billion. That payment would replace a standard three-year term, which does not require any financial contribution. The official said the funds would be directed towards rebuilding Gaza.

India has also received an invitation, a senior Indian government official confirmed, speaking on condition of anonymity as New Delhi has not made a formal announcement. Australia has been invited as well and is seeking further clarity. “We will talk it through with the US to properly understand what this means and what’s involved,” Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told ABC.

Jordan, Greece, Cyprus and Pakistan have said they received invitations on Sunday. Earlier, Canada, Turkey, Egypt, Paraguay, Argentina and Albania had publicly acknowledged similar outreach. It remains unclear how many total invitations have been sent.

Gaza mandate and broader ambitions

The United States is expected to announce the final list of members in the coming days, possibly during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. Officially, the board’s immediate task is to oversee the next phase in Gaza as the ceasefire that began on October 10 moves forward.

According to US officials, this phase includes establishing a new Palestinian committee in Gaza, deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas and coordinating large-scale reconstruction.

In letters sent to invitees and later shared on social media, Trump described the board as a vehicle that would “embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict.”

That language has raised questions about whether the initiative is meant to rival existing global institutions, particularly the United Nations Security Council. The council has been paralysed over Gaza by repeated US vetoes, while the UN’s influence has been weakened by funding cuts under the Trump administration and other donors.

Tensions with Israel

Trump’s invitation letters note that the Security Council had endorsed the US-backed 20-point Gaza ceasefire framework, which includes the creation of the Board of Peace. However, friction has already emerged with Israel.

The White House recently announced an executive committee to carry out the board’s vision, but Israel objected. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy,” marking a rare public disagreement with Washington.

The executive committee includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former UK prime minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga and deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel, along with Israeli billionaire Yakir Gabay. Representatives from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey are also involved, reflecting their roles as ceasefire monitors.

As invitations continue to go out and governments debate whether to sign on, Trump’s Board of Peace is shaping up as a controversial attempt to reframe global conflict management, starting with Gaza but potentially extending far beyond it.