Mexico Turns Down ‘Board of Peace’ Invite Over Absence of Palestine
The board's charter doesn't even mention Gaza.
by Novara Reporters
18 February 2026
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has declined an invitation from Donald Trump to join his so-called Board of Peace, citing the glaring omission of any Palestinian representative.
The board was originally designed to oversee the ceasefire in Palestine – but its official charter, published in January, makes no mention of Gaza.
“Given that we recognise Palestine as a state, it’s important that both states – Israel and Palestine – participate,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference on Tuesday.
She added that Mexico would send its UN ambassador to observe at the Board of Peace’s Thursday meeting instead.
Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first Jewish and female president, has publicly condemned Israel’s genocide in Palestine.
Other countries that have turned down invitations to the board have cited further concerns with the body, including the extensive powers it grants to Trump and fears that the board would sideline the UN