MEXICO will not join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, President Claudia Sheinbaum said ahead of its inaugural meeting in Washington DC tomorrow.

Ms Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that Mexico recognised the state of Palestine, and would not be part of a board supposedly set up to determine the future of Gaza but on which Palestine is not represented.

“The participation of both states, Israel and Palestine, is important. But that is not how it is being set out in the meeting,” Ms Sheinbaum said. Mexico’s ambassador to the UN might attend as an observer, she added.

The US president says the board has already received pledges of $5 billion (£3.6bn) towards Gaza’s reconstruction and that its “potential is unlimited.”

He has previously suggested its remit could expand beyond Gaza to replace UN conflict-resolution functions, prompting alarm as the board is a US creation answering to him personally.

Its executive, appointed by Mr Trump, includes his son-in-law Jared Kushner, his “special envoy” Steve Witkoff, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the head of the World Bank, Ajay Banga.

Mr Trump is empowered to veto any decision, create and dissolve subsidiary structures and appoint his own successor, and can only be removed if he chooses to resign.

No permanent UN security council member bar the US itself has joined, though Russia says it is still “studying” the proposal. China and France cited the board’s usurpation of UN functions when declining invitations, while Britain objected to Russia having been invited.

The inaugural meeting is expected to focus on the Israel-Gaza ceasefire and proposals including a foreign “stabilisation” force occupying the devastated territory.