Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced that Albania has been invited by U.S. President Donald Trump to become part of the board expected to oversee governance in Gaza, known as the Peace Board.
In a letter published by Rama, Trump formally invites the Republic of Albania, represented by the Prime Minister, to join as a founding member state and become a signatory to the Statute of the Peace Board.
“I look forward with pleasure to working together for a long time into the future toward the goal of establishing permanent WORLD PEACE, PROSPERITY, AND GREATNESS FOR ALL!” Trump wrote in the invitation addressed to Rama.
According to the letter, member states may appoint an authorized representative to participate in meetings of the Peace Board.
In addition to Albania, leaders of Canada, Turkey, Argentina, and Paraguay have also confirmed receiving similar invitations.
International Composition of the Board
On Saturday, additional figures appointed by the United States to the board were made public. These include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. President Trump himself is set to chair the board, according to a plan released by the White House in October.
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas—designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union—approved Trump’s plan, which foresees a Palestinian technocratic body overseen by an international board to administer Gaza during a transitional period.
Criticism and UN Authorization
However, numerous experts and human rights activists have criticized the initiative, arguing that Trump’s oversight of a body governing a foreign territory resembles a colonial structure. The inclusion of Tony Blair has also drawn criticism, given his role in the Iraq war and Britain’s historical imperial presence in the Middle East.
A United Nations Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorized the creation of the board and the international force working alongside it in Gaza.
The White House also appointed an 11-member “Gaza Executive Board”, which includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Sigrid Kaag, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, alongside several executive board members.
This additional board will support the office of Nickolay Mladenov and the Palestinian technocratic body, the details of which were announced earlier this week, according to the White House.
Ongoing Violence in Gaza
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 450 Palestinians—including over 100 children—and three Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed during the truce.
Since October 2023, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people, triggered a severe hunger crisis, and internally displaced the entire population of the territory. Many human rights experts, academics, and a UN investigation have described the situation as constituting genocide.
Israel maintains that it acted in self-defense following an attack by Hamas-led militants in late 2023, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 hostages being taken.
