Trump’s Board of Peace to gather for first meeting<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
Good morning and welcome to the US politics live blog. The inaugural meeting of US president Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> Board of Peace, his initiative to bring an end to the war in Gaza, begins today<\/strong> with representatives from more than 45 countries expected to attend.<\/p>\n But some major European allies, including the UK, Germany and France, have turned down their invitations,<\/strong> wary of the group\u2019s operations and its potential to rival the UN. There is also no Palestinian representation on the board,<\/strong> while Israel holds a seat.<\/p>\n The summit comes almost three months since the UN security council approved a US-backed ceasefire plan, which included a two-year mandate for the Board of Peace to oversee the demilitarisation and reconstruction of Gaza<\/a>. Key issues that remain unresolved include the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops in Gaza, the scale of reconstruction and the flow of humanitarian aid<\/strong> into the enclave.<\/p>\n Trump announced ahead of the meeting that board members have pledged $5bn (\u00a33.7bn)<\/strong> for the reconstruction efforts, a fraction of the $70bn (\u00a352bn) needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory <\/a>that has been devastated by two years of conflict.<\/p>\n The ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile<\/a>, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the agreement. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli troops withdrew to positions behind a so-called yellow line<\/a>, although they remain in control of more than half the territory.<\/p>\n