Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has tapped Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to attend next Thursday’s inaugural Board of Peace gathering in Washington, DC, instead of going himself, according to a diplomatic source who spoke with The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu traveled to Washington last week for talks with President Donald Trump during a period of heightened strain between the United States and Iran. He has chosen not to make another trip for AIPAC’s annual conference or for the Board of Peace session, where the Trump administration is seeking to secure financial commitments for the new international framework.

Sa’ar is expected to take part in the February 19 meeting alongside senior representatives from Argentina, Cambodia, Hungary, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam. Bahrain’s King Hamad Al Khalifa is also expected to be present, an Arab diplomat said. While all 28 member states on the panel plan to send delegates, each government is determining the rank of the official it will dispatch, the diplomat added.

The Board of Peace has been established to supervise Gaza’s move toward a postwar administration that excludes Hamas, in line with Washington’s 20-point blueprint for the territory.

Still, Saudi Arabia has signaled it is not yet ready to pledge reconstruction funds. Speaking Saturday, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said Riyadh needs greater certainty about Israel’s eventual military pullout from Gaza and about Hamas laying down its arms before committing financial support. He suggested the upcoming meeting could provide further clarification.

When asked at the Munich Security Conference whether Saudi Arabia would finance rebuilding efforts in Gaza and under what conditions, Prince Faisal said his country is “fully supportive” of the Board of Peace and Trump’s 20-point plan. However, he stressed that, “We need to see a real end to the conflict.”

“That means we need to have clarity on when Israel is going to withdraw, when Hamas is going to disarm, when everyone is going to comply with all 20 points of the 20-point plan,” Prince Faisal said.

“The US is working on that. There’s a meeting on the 19th that will give us a lot more clarity,” he noted, referring to the Board of Peace fundraising meeting.

According to a US official and two Arab diplomats who spoke earlier this week with The Times of Israel, Washington hopes to unveil $1.25 billion in contributions from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. The New York Times has reported that the United States intends to match that figure with its own pledge.

Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia would be better positioned after the meeting to assess “where we can best contribute toward — not just reconstruction, but also that the people of Gaza and Palestine can have a better future.”

The American proposal for Gaza was first presented in September and was conceived as the intended outcome of the ceasefire and hostage-release agreement Washington brokered between Israel and Hamas, following two years of fighting that began with the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Although the US-mediated truce moved into its second stage last month, clashes have persisted in Gaza, with Israel and Hamas each accusing the other of violations.

Under the terms of the second phase, Israeli troops are to withdraw in stages from the Strip while Hamas dismantles its armed capabilities. An international stabilization force would then be deployed to maintain order.

Hamas, however, has consistently declared that disarmament is a red line, even as it has hinted it might consider transferring its weapons to a future Palestinian governing authority.