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Trump expected to announce Gaza Board of Peace next week: U.S. officials
President Trump is expected to announce the Gaza Board of Peace next week as part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, two U.S. officials and two sources with knowledge told me.Why it matters: The board, which will be chaired by Trump and include around 15 world leaders, will supervise a still-to-be-formed Palestinian technocratic government and oversee the reconstruction process.Driving the news: "Invitations are going out to key countries to be members of the board," a source with direct knowledge said.Among the countries expected to join the board are the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.U.S. officials said that the plan could still change depending on development on other issues in Trump's foreign policy agenda like Venezuela and the Ukraine-Russia peace talks.The White House declined to comment.Behind the scenes: The Board of Peace representative on the ground will be former UN envoy to the Middle East Nikolay Mladenov. Mladenov is visiting Israel this week for meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials ahead of Trump's planned announcement. Netanyahu's agreement to move to phase two of the deal during his meeting with Trump last week helped pave the way for the announcement.What's next: The first meeting of the Board of Peace could take place during the World Economic Forum in Davos later this month.