Netanyahu accepts Trump invitation to join 'Board of Peace'

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" aimed at resolving conflicts, Netanyahu's office said Wednesday.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that he has accepted US President Donald Trump's invitation and will join as a member of the Board of Peace, which will be composed of leaders of the world," the office said in a statement.

The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of post-war Gaza, but its charter seen by AFP does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory, and members have to pay up to $1 billion for a permanent spot on it.

The board "seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict", reads the preamble of the charter sent to countries invited to participate.

It will be chaired by Trump himself, who will also "separately serve" as the representative of the United States.

While announcing the creation of the board last week, Trump also unveiled plans to establish a "Gaza Executive Board" operating under the body.

The executive board would include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi.

Netanyahu has strongly objected to their inclusion.

Ties between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated since Israel's war on Gaza broke out in October 2023, which has killed over 71,000 Palestinians and led to an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court against Netanyahu on grounds of committing war crimes in the enclave.

A separate committee of 15 Palestinian technocrats has also been formed to oversee the day-to-day administration of Gaza as part of the second phase of a truce plan announced by Trump in October.

The committee, led by Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath, commenced its initial work in Cairo this week.

Invitations see both acceptances and declines

Dozens of countries and leaders have said they have received an invitation, including close US allies but also adversaries.

China has been invited but a foreign ministry spokesman said Wednesday Beijing would defend the international system with the United Nations "at its core".

Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have been invited, despite Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

A number of governments immediately said they would join.

Several Trump allies are in, including Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Argentine President Javier Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Azerbaijan's autocratic President Ilham Aliyev will also have a spot. And Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said he would attend Thursday's ceremony.

The United Arab Emirates, a close US partner, also said it would join, as did Egypt. Canada said it would take part but explicitly ruled out paying the $1-billion fee for permanent membership.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will represent Turkey's president on US President Donald Trump's international "Board of Peace" initiative, a Turkish source told Reuters on Wednesday.

Pakistan also accepted US President Donald Trump's invitation to join his "Board of Peace" for achieving "lasting peace in Gaza", the country's foreign ministry said.

Longtime US ally France has indicated it will not join. The response sparked an immediate threat from Trump to slap sky-high tariffs on French wine.

Zelensky said it would be "very hard" to be a member of a council alongside Russia, and diplomats were "working on it".

Britain echoed the sentiment, saying it was "concerned" that Putin had been invited.

"Putin is the aggressor in an illegal war against Ukraine, and he has shown time and time again he is not serious about peace," said a Downing Street spokesperson.

Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Wednesday it appeared problematic for his country to join.

Speaking at an event in Rome to present the Winter Olympics Italy is hosting next month, Giorgetti said that judging from news reports he had read "it seems there are some problems" regarding Rome's participation in Trump's initiative.

Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported earlier on Wednesday that Italy would not take part, citing concern that joining a group led by a single country's leader would violate the constitution

Norway, which has become the target of Trump's ire after he was snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize, has also said it will not join and that the proposal "raises a number of questions".

The charter says the board enters into force "upon expression of consent to be bound by three States"