Mexico Rejects Trump’s Peace Board Invite, Says Any Middle East Plan Must Include Recognized Palestinian State

The government of Mexico has declined an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to participate as a full member of his newly launched “Board of Peace”, saying any peace initiative for the Middle East must formally include a recognized Palestinian state, officials said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that Mexico will not join the U.S.-led group created to support the Gaza ceasefire and post-war reconstruction because the board’s composition does not include Palestine as an equal participant. “Given that we recognize Palestine as a state, it’s important that both states, Israel and Palestine, participate. It isn’t set up that way,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference.

Sheinbaum noted that Mexico will instead send its ambassador to the United Nations as an observer rather than take on full membership in the initiative. She said that decision was made jointly with Mexico’s foreign minister in advance of the board’s first formal meeting in Washington, D.C., scheduled for Thursday.

The U.S.-led Board of Peace was proposed by Trump and is intended to help oversee the Gaza ceasefire and coordinate reconstruction as part of Washington’s broader plan for ending the conflict between Israel and Hamas. However, several countries have expressed reservations about the board’s makeup, with some Western nations declining full participation or opting to attend only as observers.

Mexico’s stance aligns with its longstanding policy of supporting a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and recognizing Palestine alongside Israel as part of efforts toward lasting peace in the region.