Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Donald Trump continued a decades-long process of strengthening Saudi-U.S. ties during a White House meeting that put Saudi security and investment ahead of the Abraham Accords.
Chancellor Merz’s visit coincides with Germany signing the largest Israeli military arms export agreement, covering the Arrow 3, and his support of a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Netanyahu recalls centuries of efforts to annihilate Jews, including those in Germany and by Hamas, and says Israel will not give up military control of West Bank land.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio explains the urgent need to establish the Board of Peace and the International Stabilization Force for Gaza to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 in the ceasefire, but he also warns that the work likely will last longer than the Trump administration.
In their fifth U.S. meeting of 2025, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu show unity on Gaza, Hamas, Iran and their mutual appreciation for each other but offer glimpses of differences on Turkey, Syria and the West Bank.
The Trump administration’s proposed charter for the Board of Peace, the body the United Nations has charged with overseeing the Gaza ceasefire, does not mention Gaza or any other specific location of operation but does grant its chairman, Donald Trump, extensive control over its mission and operations.
While the Palestinian official leading the technocratic Gaza administration promises to open the Rafah Crossing and the Bulgarian high commissioner for Gaza urges the world to focus on the big picture, U.S. envoy Jared Kushner lays out a vision for Gaza as a rapid, phased real estate redevelopment.
The first meeting of the Board of Peace convened under the Trump ceasefire for Gaza offers grand plans for reconstruction and a vibrant, peaceful future for Palestinians but depends on the disarmament of Hamas.
