Trump’s Board of Peace convenes on Gaza as prospect of US war with Iran surges

JTA – The Board of Peace convened by United States President Donald Trump to administer Gaza’s reconstruction met for the first time in Washington DC on Thursday, 19 February. 

At the same time, signs are mounting that Trump could launch a long-threatened war on Iran imminently, which would throw the Middle East back into turmoil. US warships are amassing in the region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned trip to the US this week, and Trump met on Wednesday with his top Iran advisors. 

Trump surprised Israel by opening direct negotiations with Iran last year to limit its nuclear programme. The ongoing talks, including this week, have reportedly left a wide gap in the two sides’ positions. 

“There are many arguments one can make in favour of a strike against Iran,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, while maintaining that Trump would still like to make a deal. 

Israeli media is reporting that a war could begin as soon as this weekend. Axios is reporting that US officials view the end of the month as a significant deadline before making a final decision. 

Iranian officials have said they would consider all Israeli and US positions as legitimate targets as they respond to any US attack, meaning that Israelis could soon find themselves once again racing to bomb shelters with Iranian missiles incoming. 

Unlike after last year’s US strike on Iranian nuclear sites that brought to an end a 10-day war between Israel and Iran, any US campaign against Iran now could last months, according to reports. 

Trump and US Vice President JD Vance are scheduled to address the Board of Peace directly. Netanyahu joined the board only reluctantly, citing misgivings about sharing membership with Qatari and Turkish leaders who have supported Hamas in Gaza.