U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his newly established “Board of Peace” on the global stage on Thursday, with an increasing number of countries accepting his call to participate in the initiative focused on the reconstruction of Gaza. Currently, 35 countries have officially joined the board, including key players in the Middle East such as Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. However, traditional allies of the U.S., particularly European nations and Canada, have shown reluctance in committing to the initiative and its associated membership costs.
In a later announcement, President Trump disclosed that he was rescinding Canada’s invitation to join the board. Countries seeking a permanent seat on the board, anticipated to be chaired by Trump indefinitely, are required to contribute a minimum of $1 billion US, as outlined in a preliminary proposal. Other member nations will have three-year terms.
According to a White House official, approximately 50 countries have been invited to participate, with some yet to confirm their response. While the final list of participating countries is still pending, several countries like the United Arab Emirates, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Vietnam have already declared their support for the initiative.
France recently declined the invitation, citing inconsistencies between the board’s charter and a United Nations resolution aimed at resolving the Gaza conflict. Additionally, France noted that certain aspects of the board’s charter conflicted with the UN charter. Slovenia’s Prime Minister Robert Golob also rejected the invitation, expressing concerns about the potential interference of the board with the established international order.
Meanwhile, Moscow is contemplating joining the board, with Russian President Vladimir Putin proposing to contribute $1 billion US from frozen Russian assets in the U.S. Trump held a signing ceremony for the board in Davos, Switzerland, emphasizing the significance of his real estate background and highlighting the strategic importance of Gaza in initiating peace efforts between Israel and Hamas.
The ceremony coincided with ongoing deadly Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S. on October 10. Trump has leveraged the ceasefire agreement to launch a broader global initiative aimed at conflict resolution, prompting cautious responses from countries due to the limited information available regarding the initiative’s future goals.
