Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza Splits The World Wide Open

US president Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, announced last September as part of the 20-point peace plan, was originally aimed at   overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza. A small team that included former British prime minister Tony Blair, US secretary of state  Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner as members of the founding Executive Board.

But since then the mandate has expanded, with Trump now saying this model could be used for future conflict resolutions. This has triggered unease across the world, with the Board seen as encroaching on the traditional role of the United Nations.

"The U.S. president will be the inaugural chairman of the board and it will be tasked with promoting peace around the world and working to resolve conflicts," a draft of the charter said. It also says that the Board will undertake "peace-building functions in accordance with international law", raising alarm bells around the world.

Trump’s disdain of the UN and other multilateral organisations is well known. Earlier this month, Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organisations, including 31 United Nations (UN) entities and 35 non-UN bodies, marking a significant retreat from multilateral engagement.

The U.N. Security Council in November mandated the  Board of Peace but only through 2027 and to be solely focused on Gaza. Russia and China abstained, complaining that the U.S.-drafted resolution did not give the U.N. a clear role in Gaza's future.

Invitations from Trump have gone out to 50 countries to join, with a signing ceremony in place on Thursday in Davos. CNN quoted a senior US official saying around 35 nations have already consented to attend. Invites have also gone out to Russia and China. India and Pakistan are also in the list. Islamabad has agreed to participate, while India has not yet taken a call.

Permanent membership is priced at $1 billion while three-year stints are free. Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to join but has said the one billion dollar fee should come from Moscow’s funds frozen by Joe Biden since the military action in Ukraine.

“So even before we decide whether to formally take part in the Peace Council, given Russia’s special ties with the Palestinian people, we could, I believe, send one billion US dollars to the Council. Using Russian assets that were frozen under the previous US administration," Putin said.

Four European countries, France, Sweden, Norway and Slovenia, have declined to be part of the board. Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said "the time has not yet come to accept the invitation." France and US relations following Trump’s earlier threat to take over Greenland have hit a wall. President Emmanuel Macron’s government has opted to stay out of concerns over Trump’s attempts to undercut the UN system. France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, together with the US, UK, Russia and China.

"Yes to implementing the peace plan presented by the president of the United States, which we wholeheartedly support, but not to creating an organisation as it has been presented, which would replace the United Nations," French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

Trump and Norway have had a spat over the Nobel Peace prize, and Oslo is in no mood to humour the US leader.

But the good news for Trump is that major Muslim countries and those who worked to get the peace deal going are joining the Peace Board.  Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt as well as Turkiye have agreed to be part of the US effort. Morocco, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and nations like Paraguay, and Vietnam. Armenia and Azerbaijan are also in. Israel and Benjamin Nethanyahu, a close friend and ally of Trump, will be part of the Board. But Netanyahu’s presence has disappointed Palestinians who see him as the perpetrator of the genocide in Gaza.

Canada said it has agreed ``in principle’’ to join but the details are being worked out. However key Western allies like the UK, Germany and Japan have not yet signed in and would not be present at a signing ceremony for the Board. Trump is in Davos to attend the World Economic Forum. Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is likely to join in a few days.  She is again a friend of the US President. Pope Leo has been invited, but the American pontiff has not yet done so.

No one is sure how the Board will eventually work. What needs to be at the front and centre of the effort is rebuilding civic amenities and providing clean water, food and medical aid to the shattered people of Gaza. As diplomatic wrangling continues, the reality on the ground in Gaza remains one of devastation, displacement and humanitarian collapse. Whether the Board of Peace becomes a turning point or another experiment will be judged not in conference rooms, but on the ground in Gaza.

Countries that have accepted to join the board include:

Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain. Belarus, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia,  Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The list is expected to grow.

Countries that will not join the board:

France, Norway, Sweden and Slovenia.

Countries that have not yet made up their mind:

Britain, China, Croatia, Germany, India, European Union’s executive arm, Paraguay, Russia,  Singapore and  Ukraine.

This list will undergo several changes as more countries agree to join.