NextFin News - Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will attend the first official meeting of U.S. President Trump’s "Peace Council" on February 19, 2026, in Washington. According to Reuters, the decision was confirmed by Israeli officials on Saturday, marking a significant step in the implementation of the U.S. administration’s regional strategy. Saar will represent Israel in place of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently concluded a visit to Washington but opted to participate in the upcoming American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference remotely rather than attending the council in person.
The meeting, to be held at the newly renamed U.S. Institute of Peace, is expected to host delegations from at least 20 countries, including several heads of state. U.S. President Trump is slated to chair the session, where he will reportedly unveil a multi-billion dollar reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the administration intends to detail the deployment of a United Nations-authorized International Stabilization Force (ISF). This force is designed to maintain the fragile ceasefire that began in October 2025 and oversee the transition of civil authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).
The Peace Council, established following a charter signed by U.S. President Trump in Davos in January 2026, has seen rapid adoption by regional powers. According to Egypt Today, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have intensified diplomatic coordination ahead of the Washington summit. Other participants include Turkey, Qatar, and Indonesia, the latter of which has hinted at contributing up to 8,000 troops to the stabilization force. However, traditional Western allies in Europe have maintained a more cautious stance, wary of the council’s potential to bypass established multilateral institutions or create a parallel structure to the United Nations.
From a financial and geopolitical perspective, the Peace Council represents a pivot toward a "coalition of the willing" model for Middle Eastern security. Unlike previous reconstruction efforts in Iraq or Afghanistan that relied heavily on direct U.S. taxpayer funding and formal donor conferences, the Trump administration is framing this fund as a voluntary pool of "generous" contributions. U.S. officials indicate that the fund could exceed $10 billion, aimed at restoring critical infrastructure such as electricity, water, and healthcare facilities. This approach shifts the financial burden toward regional stakeholders who have a direct interest in Gaza’s stability, effectively commodifying regional peace through a transactional framework.
The deployment of the ISF remains the most complex technical challenge. For the force to be viable, it requires clear rules of engagement to avoid direct conflict with local militias while ensuring the disarmament of Hamas. According to Atalayar, the technical design involves a unified chain of command to prevent the fragmented responses that have plagued past multinational missions. Israel’s participation, via Saar, signals a conditional acceptance of this international presence, provided Jerusalem retains indirect control over intelligence sharing and a functional veto over deployments perceived as hostile to Israeli security interests.
Looking forward, the success of the Peace Council will depend on the speed of capital disbursement and the physical security of the NCAG on the ground. If the multi-billion dollar fund fails to translate into rapid, visible reconstruction, the credibility of the council may erode, potentially leading to a resurgence of internal violence. Conversely, if the February 19 meeting successfully secures troop commitments and financial pledges, it could establish a new blueprint for U.S.-led conflict resolution—one that prioritizes economic incentives and regional military partnerships over traditional diplomatic long-games. The presence of Saar ensures that Israel remains at the center of this architectural shift, even as the Netanyahu government navigates domestic political pressures regarding the long-term governance of the Palestinian enclave.
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