Divisions surfaced Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace as governments weighed whether to join the initiative while its ambitions extended beyond Gaza. The project, originally designed as a smaller group of world leaders overseeing a Gaza ceasefire plan, has taken on a broader scope that some European countries said could challenge the role of the United Nations in mediating global conflicts. Trump planned to formalize the board officially this week on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Some Western European governments said they would not join. Norway said it would not accept its invitation, with Norway’s state secretary Kristoffer Thoner saying the proposal “raises a number of questions that requires further dialogue with the United States.” Sweden also said it would not sign up for the board “as the text currently stands,” Swedish news agency TT reported, with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson making the statement on the Davos sidelines.
France declined the invitation earlier in the week. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, “Yes to implementing the peace plan presented by the president of the United States, which we wholeheartedly support, but no to creating an organization as it has been presented, which would replace the United Nations.” Several other governments also had not indicated their response, including the United Kingdom, the European Union’s executive arm, Canada, Russia, Ukraine and China.
In contrast, a group of Muslim-majority nations said their leaders would join the board, in a joint statement listing Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It was not immediately clear how many countries would accept the invitations, with a White House official telling reporters that about 30 countries were expected to join, after about 50 had been invited.
Two other U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal plans not yet made public, said roughly 60 countries had been invited but only 18 had so far confirmed participation. Trump was optimistic about the prospects ahead of an event Thursday tied to the board, saying of the countries invited that “some need parliamentary approval but for the most part, everybody wants to be on.”
Trump also defended his choice of invitees, including some leaders considered to be autocratic. He said, “I have some controversial people.” He added: “But these are people that get the job done. These are people that have tremendous influence.” As the administration pushed for the board’s wider role, European concerns focused on what some said would amount to an attempt to rival the U.N. Security Council’s mediation functions, rather than simply help oversee the Gaza ceasefire effort.
Israel’s decision was seen as particularly consequential, given that its government had previously criticized the makeup of another committee intended to oversee Gaza. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has agreed to join the board, after his office earlier criticized a Gaza executive committee that includes Turkey, a regional rival of Israel, and would work with those governing the territory day to day.
The AP report noted that Netanyahu’s agreement could put him in conflict with some far-right partners in his coalition, including Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who criticized the board and called for Israel to take unilateral responsibility for Gaza’s future. The report also said many questions remained about the board’s mandate, including what would happen if it were perceived to replace the U.N.; when asked on Tuesday whether the board would replace the U.N., Trump said: “It might.”
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Michelle L. Price in Washington, Josh Boak in Davos, Switzerland, Jovana Gec in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Catherine Gaschka in Paris contributed to this report.