Overview
- The White House invited 58 countries to join the Board of Peace, allowing each to send a leader or an empowered representative.
- Netanyahu argued the invitation was addressed to him personally and rejected requests for President Isaac Herzog to sign in his place after a series of tense calls.
- Unable to travel because of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, Netanyahu skipped Davos while Herzog attended the forum but not the ceremony.
- With Israel absent from the stage, representatives of 19 countries signed the Board of Peace charter tied to Gaza governance and reconstruction.
- U.S. officials chose not to escalate the dispute and shifted pressure toward opening the Rafah crossing, with advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff flying to Israel for talks.