7 more countries agree to join Trump's 'Board of peace'
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has announced that seven more countries have agreed to join his "Board of Peace." The new members include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Qatar. They will join Israel, which had earlier confirmed its participation. The board was initially intended to help end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction efforts. However, its proposed charter makes no mention of the Palestinian territory and looks to supplant UN functions.
Putin's response
Putin's participation under consideration, says Russia
Trump also claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to join but the latter said that his country is still studying the invitation. He said Russia was ready to allocate $1 billion from frozen Russian assets for the initiative. It is unclear how many countries have been invited to join the board.
Global response
Vatican and other countries respond to Trump's invitation
The Vatican has also confirmed that Pope Leo has been invited to join the board, but a decision is pending. Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob declined the invitation, citing concerns over its interference with international order. Other countries like Canada and the United Kingdom are yet to publicly respond. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Vietnam have already joined.
Charter details
Board's charter and founding members revealed
A leaked document has revealed that the board's charter will come into effect once three states agree to it. Member states will be given renewable three-year terms, with permanent seats available for those contributing $1 billion. The charter designates the body as an international organization under international law, with Trump as chairman and US representative. He has authority to appoint executive board members and create or dissolve subsidiary bodies.
Executive board
Board's executive members and Israel's concerns
The White House has announced seven members of the founding Executive Board. They include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and former UK prime minister Tony Blair. Former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov was appointed as the board's representative in Gaza for reconstruction and demilitarization efforts. However, Israel has expressed concerns over the board's composition, especially with Turkey and Qatar being included without coordination.