Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, January 21, he had agreed to join US President Donald Trump‘s “Board of Peace.”
Netanyahu announced in a statement from his office.
The announcement came after Israel said the makeup of the Board’s Gaza executive body did not align with Israel’s interests.
At least six more countries said Sunday, January 18, the United States has invited them to join Trump‘s “Board of Peace,” a new body of world leaders meant to oversee the next steps in Gaza that’s showing ambitions for a broader mandate in global affairs.
A USD 1 billion contribution secures permanent membership on the Trump-led board instead of a three-year appointment, which has no contribution requirement, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity about the charter, which hasn’t been made public. The official said the money raised would go to rebuilding Gaza.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accepted an invitation to join the board, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told state radio on Sunday. Orban is one of Trump’s most ardent supporters in Europe.
Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, and Pakistan also said Sunday they had received invitations. Canada, Türkiye, Egypt, Paraguay, Argentina, and Albania have already confirmed they were invited. It was not clear how many have been invited in all.
In letters sent Friday, January 16, to world leaders inviting them to be “founding members,” Trump said the Board of Peace would “embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict.”
Other members announced so far include Trump’s closest confidants, such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and a collection of top officials from Middle Eastern governments.
As Palestinians in the war-ravaged enclave languish in displacement camps, Trump hopes to establish his new “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos. But the initiative, initially conceived to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, faces many questions over its membership and scope.
Meanwhile, as world leaders are gathered at the Swiss resort, the ceasefire plan is high on the agenda, on Tuesday, January 20, a Palestinian baby died of hypothermia, Israeli crews bulldozed the United Nations headquarters of UNRWA in east Jerusalem, and Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinian trade school, while the UN agency has warned that disease risks in the Gaza Strip are reaching record-levels.
