JERUSALEM, Israel – President Trump’s inaugural Board of Peace meeting concerning the future of Gaza is set to begin in Washington. Top diplomats from more than two dozen countries will join him. However, the meeting is taking place against a backdrop of war preparations in the Middle East.
The Board of Peace agenda is expected to focus on the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Trump will host the meeting and claims that $5 billion has already been raised for rebuilding.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, one of the attendees, remarked, “If these are achieved, there will, for the first time, be a chance to move forward with a new reality in Gaza and the region with security, stability and prosperity of all depends on this.”
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The meeting for peace comes as threats of war escalate in the region.
Russia is planning joint naval exercises with Iran. The regime has also invited Hezbollah to join them in the event of a U.S. military strike, and the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command has been directed to prepare for full-scale war.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted, “There are many reasons and arguments one could make for a strike against Iran.”
U.S. military officials say they’re ready to strike as early as Saturday, as U.S. air power has built up substantially in the past few weeks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of the month.
In her press conference, Leavitt reiterated that little progress was made during Wednesday’s nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Leavitt said of the president, “Diplomacy is always his first option, and Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told CBN News the decision to strike Iran lies with President Trump.
“Should they not be willing to make a deal, the president has options; the only one that makes the decision. Two people could make the decision. The Iranians could step up and make a deal, and ultimately, President Trump will decide whether or not it’s good enough to protect the American people,” Hegseth said.
Middle East analyst Esther Braun contends that any deal with iran should come with reservations. Braun recently wrote an article in The Times of Israel headlined, “Built to Deceive – Why Iran Can’t Make a Real Deal.” In it, she explains the Iranian Islamic tactic known as “Taqiyya.”
“The key was a survival mechanism,” she told CBN News. “The believer could conceal his faith, conceal his, style of life, to save his life, to save his property, to save his community.”
Braun cautions that Western diplomats want to “resolve” conflicts. Iranian culture uses Taqiyya to “manage” them.
“It’s not like they’re lying because they have a purpose to lie. It’s just how they see the whole process of negotiations,” Braun said.
