Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the ICC for war crimes, has accepted an invitation from United States President Donald Trump to join a proposed “Board of Peace” linked to the Gaza ceasefire process.
Netanyahu’s office said in a post on social media on Wednesday that the Israeli leader will join the initiative, which was unveiled as part of phase two of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas aimed at ending the genocide in Gaza.
The Board is intended to oversee post-genocide arrangements in the Palestinian enclave. According to Trump, the body would focus on “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation” in Gaza.
Several world leaders have been invited to participate in the initiative, which will be chaired by Trump and structured by the US administration. However, the composition of the Board has drawn criticism from journalists, activists and political figures.
Journalist Jonathan Cook wrote on X that The Guardian found it “perverse” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been invited to join the board, adding that it is the same body to which “fugitive war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu” has also been invited and that it will be chaired by “Israel’s main arms supplier, Donald J Trump”.
Another post circulating on X described the board’s membership as a pattern, stating: “So war criminal Donald Trump has invited war criminal Tony Blair, war criminal Vladimir Putin and war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu to his ‘Board of Peace’. I’m beginning to spot a pattern.”
Palestinian activist Nour Odeh said on X that Netanyahu, “wanted by ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” had accepted Trump’s invitation to join the board, adding that Israeli media commentators said Israel’s participation was not tied to Trump’s reported $1 billion request. She also reminded her followers that Israel was “still standing trial for genocide”.
British politician Jeremy Corbyn criticised the initiative in a post on X, saying Trump had not assembled a “Board of Peace” for Gaza but a “Board of Occupation”. He added that “the future of Gaza is not up to Trump, Blair or Netanyahu” and said it should be determined by the Palestinian people.
Other commentators also questioned the legitimacy of the initiative. Syrian activist Ryan Rozbiani wrote that Netanyahu joining a body meant to rebuild Gaza amounted to a “pseudo-UN forming”.
Journalist Muhammad Shehada said on X that Trump was inviting Netanyahu to the board alongside figures including Tony Blair, adding that an “internationally wanted war criminal” would be part of a body deciding Gaza’s future.
The initiative’s scope marks a shift from earlier expectations that it would function as a limited ceasefire oversight mechanism, with Trump publicly framing it as a broader platform for post-conflict planning and international engagement.