Netanyahu will not return to Washington to attend Board of Peace inaugural meeting

The charter of the Board of Peace was signed on Jan. 22 by 19 countries on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not travel to Washington next week to attend a Feb. 19 meeting of the Board of Peace, his office said, even as Israel formally signed on to the postwar governance body alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu will participate in the annual AIPAC conference virtually, and, therefore, will not fly to Washington next week,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement, referring to the upcoming conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

The announcement followed Israel’s decision to join the Board of Peace, an international body established to address governance and stabilization arrangements in the Gaza Strip following the war.

The charter of the Board of Peace was signed on Jan. 22 by 19 countries on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

According to the framework outlined at the forum, the Board of Peace was created as part of efforts to resolve the situation in Gaza and to oversee postwar governance mechanisms.

The body is based on an agreement between Israel and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas regarding governance in the Gaza Strip, while also being tasked with preventing and mediating conflicts in other regions.

Netanyahu’s decision not to attend the Washington meeting comes after a recent visit to the United States that was publicly described as urgent and focused on discussions over the ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran.

The timing of that visit, however, prompted speculation that the Israeli leader was seeking to avoid appearing at the inaugural Board of Peace summit.

The US-backed initiative has drawn criticism in Israel, in part because it internationalizes Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and provides a formal role for additional regional and international actors.

Critics have pointed to the involvement of countries such as Turkey and Qatar, which are seen in Jerusalem as rivals with competing interests in Gaza.

Netanyahu has recently returned from talks with US President Donald Trump about nuclear talks with Iran. The 3-hour closed-door meeting ended with no press conference or announcement.

Despite Netanyahu’s absence from the Washington meeting, Israeli officials emphasized that Israel’s participation in the Board of Peace reflects coordination with the United States and an effort to shape postwar arrangements from within the framework rather than outside it.

The government did not indicate whether Netanyahu would attend future Board of Peace meetings in person.