Links to THREE reports: from National Public Radio and Agence France-Presse; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-18-26, and up or down for WEST BANK, IRAN, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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President Trump’s Board of Peace will meet today for the first time. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Michel Martin | NPR  As President Trump’s Board of Peace prepares to meet for the first time Thursday, he says the group has raised $5 billion for Gaza reconstruction. But key challenges remain. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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Head of Gaza technocrat committee in Washington for ‘Board of Peace’ meeting: officials. From AFP. The head of the Palestinian technocratic committee formed to handle day-to-day governance of Gaza, Ali Shaath, was in Washington today to attend the inaugural “Board of Peace” meeting, according to two Palestinian officials. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Can President Trump’s Board of Peace bring lasting peace to Gaza? Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Middle East expert Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about the prospect of lasting peace in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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