Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a White House request to allow President Isaac Herzog to attend the launch ceremony of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace in Davos on Thursday, Axios reported on Saturday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
The White House viewed the ceremony as a central component of implementing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal and one of Trump’s key priorities during the World Economic Forum. US officials had hoped to place a senior Israeli representative on stage alongside Arab and Muslim leaders to signal broad support for Trump’s Gaza initiative. Israel’s absence, the sources said, created the impression that Jerusalem was not fully aligned with the plan.
The White House sent invitations to 58 countries, including Israel, stating that each nation could send its head of state, head of government, or an empowered representative. Netanyahu did not travel to Davos due to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against him, but Herzog was present at the forum.
According to the sources, US officials approached the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday and Wednesday, proposing that Herzog represent Israel, sit on stage with the other leaders, and sign the Board of Peace charter. Netanyahu refused and effectively vetoed Herzog’s participation, according to Axios.
The report further said that, behind the scenes, several phone calls took place between senior White House officials and Netanyahu and his aides. Some of the conversations were described as “tense and difficult." As late as Wednesday evening, the White House still hoped for a compromise that would allow Herzog to attend. Israel was even listed among 21 participating countries in a document circulated by the White House that night.
Efforts continued until hours before Thursday’s ceremony, but Netanyahu held firm, arguing that Trump had addressed the invitation to him personally, not to Herzog. One source said the episode created tensions between the Prime Minister’s Office and the President’s Office, as well as between Jerusalem and Washington.
Ultimately, the White House chose not to escalate the dispute, the sources said. Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff preferred to focus their pressure on Netanyahu regarding the opening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza rather than Herzog’s attendance. Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Israel on Saturday evening for a meeting with Netanyahu expected to center on the Rafah issue.
The Prime Minister’s Office, President Herzog’s office, and the White House all declined to comment.