NEW YORK - Nearly 60 countries have been invited to join the newly formed Gaza Peace Council (Board of Peace) to administer, stabilise and supervise the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the daily The Wall Street Journal with reference to documents and sources familiar with the project.
According to the report, most of the invited states responded to the offer with restraint and caution, mainly because of the potential geopolitical risks, the unclear mandate of the new institution and the dominant role of the United States.
„The Peace Council is an international organisation whose aim is to promote stability, restore sound and lawful governance and ensure lasting peace in areas affected by or threatened by conflict,“ the WSJ quotes the organization's charter.
The Peace Council is reportedly set to assume a key role in the post-war governance of the Gaza Strip, including the reconstruction of basic infrastructure, economic stabilisation, the establishment of administrative structures and the provision of a security framework after the end of the armed conflict. The project is presented as a long-term stabilisation mechanism to prevent the return of chaos and violence in the area.
The report further states that US President Donald Trump will chair the Peace Council and will have sole veto power over its decisions. This point is one of the most controversial parts of the proposal because it significantly strengthens the influence of the United States and weakens the collective nature of decision-making that is common in international organisations.
According to the WSJ, the annual membership fee for regular members is one billion dollars. Countries that fail to pay this amount can only be members for a limited period of three years. It is not yet clear how the funds collected will be used, nor what financial control mechanism is to be put in place. The high financial requirement is one of the main reasons why many countries have reacted reluctantly.
Diplomatic sources warn that the project may be perceived as a Washington-led elite club rather than a neutral multilateral platform. Criticism has also been levelled at the composition of the Peace Council's leadership, which is expected to include mainly figures associated with the US administration and Donald Trump's circle, while the role of regional actors and Palestinian representatives remains unclear.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that President Vladimir Putin has received an official invitation to join the Gaza Peace Council and Moscow is currently analysing the possibility. The Kremlin says the organisation's mandate, its actual powers and its compliance with international law must be carefully assessed.
The Gaza Peace Council project is part of a broader US plan for the post-war settlement of the region and, according to the Western media, has the ambition to partially replace or bypass the traditional UN role in resolving the conflict. It is this aspect that has raised concerns among parts of the international community that the creation of a new structure may further polarize already tense relations in the Middle East.
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