United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has no cash in its official Gaza reconstruction fund, despite member countries pledging billions of dollars, a source familiar with the board told AFP on Wednesday.
Trump first conceived of the board to rebuild Gaza, where Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-backed ceasefire in October in a bid to halt two years of devastating conflict.
But he quickly raised eyebrows by sending out wide invitations, including to Russian President Vladimir Putin and to countries far removed from traditional Middle East diplomacy. Since the board was set up, its fund — administered by the World Bank and endorsed by the United Nations — has received no money from donors, the source familiar with the Board of Peace told AFP.