US lobbied Saudi Arabia to release funds for Gaza 'Board of Peace' amid cash crunch

US lobbied Saudi Arabia to release funds for Gaza 'Board of Peace' amid cash crunch Submitted by Sean Mathews on Tue, 05/19/2026 - 21:26 Israeli attacks and concerns about Palestinian representation have complicated Gulf funding for the board Youssef Rayyan mourns over the body of his son Ibrahim, killed in an Israeli strike, inside the morgue of Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on 17 May 2026 (Eyad Baba/AFP) Off A senior US official visited Saudi Arabia in April to shore up the kingdom’s $1bn pledge for President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” in  Gaza , amid concerns that funding is not materialising, one Arab official and a US official familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye. Aryeh Lightstone, one of the key US officials overseeing the US’s post-war planning for Gaza, visited the kingdom, where he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the financial pledge Saudi Arabia made to the Board of Peace in February. The board includes a committee of Palestinian technocrats approved by Israel to manage daily affairs in Gaza. But MEE understands that Saudi Arabia has been pushing for greater overall Palestinian representation on the board. The Board of Peace is US-led and comprises over 25 member states, but western and Arab officials tell MEE that its funding hinges on the Gulf. Trump committed $10bn in US taxpayer funds for the group. The US push for Saudi Arabia to distribute funds comes as the kingdom is also focused on trying to unlock about $5bn in frozen tax revenue for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Israel is withholding, the Arab official and an official in the region told MEE. Saudi Arabia wants Israel to release t...

Original source: Middle East Eye