Netanyahu agrees to join Trump’s Board of Peace which world category in this line
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he had agreed to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, after his office earlier criticised the makeup of the board’s committee tasked with overseeing Gaza. The board, chaired by Trump, was originally envisaged as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan. The Trump administration’s ambitions have broadened into a more sprawling concept, with Trump extending invitations to dozens of nations and hinting it will soon broker global conflicts.
The announcement is a departure from the previous stance by Netanyahu’s office. It had said the composition of the Gaza executive committee — which includes Turkey, a key regional rival — wasn’t coordinated with the Israeli government and ran “contrary to its policy,” without clarifying its objections. Netanyahu’s decision to join the board could now put him in conflict with some of the far-right allies in his coalition, such as Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has criticised the board and called for Israel to take unilateral responsibility for Gaza’s future.
Those who have joined the board are the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Vietnam, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Argentina. Others, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Egypt, Russia, Turkey and the executive arm of the European Union, say they have received invitations but have not yet responded. Netanyahu’s announcement came as Trump traveled to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where he is expected to provide more details about the board.
There are many unanswered questions. It was not immediately clear how many or which other leaders would receive invitations. When asked by a reporter on Tuesday if the board should replace the United Nations, Trump said,“It might.” He claimed the world body “hasn’t been very helpful” and “has never lived up to its potential” but also said the U.N. should continue “because the potential is so great.” That has created controversy, with some saying Trump is trying to replace the UN.
In a response to Trump, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday, “Yes to implementing the peace plan presented by the president of the United States, which we wholeheartedly support, but no to creating an organisation as it has been presented, which would replace the United Nations.” After hearing late Monday that French President Emmanuel Macron was unlikely to join the board, Trump said, “Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon.”
Under the ceasefire deal, the board’s Gaza executive committee will be in charge of implementing the tough second phase of the agreement. That includes deploying an international security force, disarming the Palestinian militant Hamas group and rebuilding the war-devastated territory. It will also supervise a newly appointed committee of Palestinian technocrats who will be running Gaza’s day-to-day affairs.
The White House says its members include Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi; Hassan Rashad, director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Agency; Emirati minister Reem Al-Hashimy; Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay; and Sigrid Kaag, the Netherlands’ former deputy prime minister and a Mideast expert.
Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. Mideast envoy, is to serve as the Gaza executive board’s representative overseeing day-to-day matters. Separate from the Gaza executive committee, the founding executive committee’s members include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Trump’s deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel. Benjamin Netanyahu.
China wary of joining Board of Peace
Beijing: China on Wednesday expressed reservations about joining US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza if it is not under the auspices of the UN, reaffirming its firm commitment to the international system with the global body at its core. China has always been committed to true multilateralism and will firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a news briefing here.
Guo was responding to a question about Trump’s comments that the UN should continue to exist, but the Board of Peace he proposed “might” replace the organisation. No matter how the international situation evolves, China will firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Guo said.
On Tuesday, China confirmed that it has received an invitation from the US to join the Board of Peace, but declined to say whether it will join or not. When asked about Trump’s plans to host a signing ceremony to formalise the “Board of Peace” in Davos, Switzerland and whether there will be any Chinese representatives attending the event, Guo said that regarding the matter of “Board of Peace,” the Chinese side has responded already and “I have no further information to add”.
Asked about the “chaos” caused by the Trump administration to the global order and whether China welcomes such disorder, Guo retreated that China believes that, regardless of changes in the global situation, upholding the international system with the UN at its core, the order based on international law and the fundamental norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter serves the common interests of all nations.
