European leaders take their time on Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” (except Orbán)

Brussels – “Everyone wants to join the Board of Peace,” claimed Donald Trump during the launch ceremony, from the stage of the World Economic Forum in Davos, of the body created to oversee the second phase of the peace plan for Gaza, but which the US president is increasingly blurring the contours of. “It will be one of the most important organisations ever created in the world,” he announced. Parallel to the UN, complementary, perhaps even replacing it. When in doubt, it is better to stay out: this is the choice made so far by (almost) all EU and NATO allies who have received an invitation to join. 

Only 19 delegates, in a few cases heads of state or government, signed the document establishing the Peace Council. The European Union is not represented, with the United Kingdom, France and Italy opting out. Among those present are MAGA loyalists Javier Milei, the President of Argentina, and Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary. The only other EU member present is Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zelijakov. There is the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani. Also standing out are the Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev, the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, the Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, and the prime ministers of Qatar and Pakistan. 

Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan will also sit on the board led by Trump, Arab countries determined to have a say in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Especially after the approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last week, the White House announced a “founding executive board” for the new organisation: one step below Trump, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have been appointed. 

The latter outlined a plan for the next 100 days for Gaza, which includes a significant increase in humanitarian aid, the restoration of essential infrastructure—water, electricity, and sewage systems—and the reconstruction of hospitals and bakeries. The plan calls for the committee of Palestinian technicians, meanwhile set up in Cairo, to finally take over the administration of the Strip. Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian National Authority official chosen to chair the committee, connected remotely to the event and announced that the Rafah crossing will reopen in both directions next week. 

However, according to Trump’s vague statements, the Board of Peace, initially part of the ceasefire plan in Gaza, could take on a much broader geopolitical role. It could even replace the United Nations. Or, more diplomatically, “together with the United Nations, it could be something truly unique for the world,” the US president said today. 

These new developments have dampened the enthusiasm of European leaders, who initially strongly supported the creation of such a body. A few days ago, the European Commission confirmed that it had received an invitation to sit on the Peace Council, but postponed its decision on whether to accept. The feeling is that among the 27—excluding Hungary and Bulgaria—almost no one wants to join, and that Brussels is trying to buy time in the hope that the project will fizzle out on its own. 

EU diplomatic sources, just hours before the extraordinary summit convened by Antonio Costa to respond to Trump’s threats to Greenland, predict that the issue of the Board of Peace will be raised. “I expect there to be a political analysis of the situation, or a political exchange on the matter. The coordinated position of the vast majority of Member States is that there are a number of issues that need to be clarified, about which we have doubts, sometimes even strong doubts,” said a senior official. The Union “expected the Board of Peace to be focused and dedicated to the issue of Gaza,” and it was in that sense that many capitals had declared their willingness to participate. But the new format “raises some legal questions in terms of compatibility with European law,” the source concluded.