Dozens of world leaders are gathering in Washington DC on Thursday for the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, but major European allies have declined to attend, casting doubt on the initiative’s credibility. The White House has indicated that the summit at the renamed Donald J Trump Institute of Peace will largely function as a fundraiser, with Trump claiming countries have pledged more than $5bn towards rebuilding Gaza.
Despite Trump’s claims that member states have also committed thousands of personnel to an international stabilisation force, scepticism is rife. Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former US diplomat, said the board would struggle to resolve key questions in the Israel-Gaza conflict, including governance, security, and immediate humanitarian needs. “Pledges are one thing, delivering is another,” he added.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, has declined her invitation, and the leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France have also said they will not join. Trump rescinded an invitation to Canada’s Mark Carney after a critical speech by the Canadian prime minister. The Vatican also announced it would not join, with Cardinal Pietro Parolin insisting that the United Nations should manage such crises.
Instead, the meeting will be attended by Middle Eastern delegations from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, and Qatar, along with countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, Hungary, and Kazakhstan. Many are seen as seeking to curry favour with the Trump administration. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chosen to skip the meeting, sending Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in his place.
Max Rodenbeck, Israel/Palestine project director for the International Crisis Group, warned that without fast, tangible improvements on the ground, especially on the humanitarian front, the board’s credibility would quickly crumble.
