Trump hosts first 'Board of Peace' meeting as European allies stay away

The inaugural meeting of the so-called Board of Peace initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump kicked off in Washington on Thursday, yet the initiative has been met with a collective snub from the other four permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and major European allies of the U.S.

Notably, Palestine, one of the parties involved in the Gaza issue, has also not joined the "Board of Peace."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who signed up to the Trump plan during a recent Washington visit, even chose to skip the meeting, sending his right-wing Foreign Minister Gideon Saar instead.

Plagued by murky funding, an ambiguous mandate and a lack of practical progress on the ground, the U.S.-led body has drawn fierce criticism and sparked profound doubts over its legitimacy and effectiveness.

China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France – the four other UNSC permanent members – all declined to participate in the meeting, a clear signal of the international community's rejection of the U.S. attempt to bypass the UN and build a parallel international mechanism.

France on Thursday voiced surprise over reports that the European Commission (EC) took part in the meeting, stating that the European Council had not authorized the commission to attend.

The EC sent Dubravka Suica, commissioner for the Mediterranean, as a so-called observer to the meeting.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said the Board of Peace should concentrate on the situation in Gaza. He noted that France would refrain from participating as long as uncertainties remain regarding the board's mandate and scope.

Confavreux added that France was "surprised" by the EC's reported attendance, emphasizing that the commission "does not have a mandate from the European Council to attend and participate in this meeting." He said the EC would be expected to clarify its involvement after returning.

Norway also reaffirmed its firm refusal to join on the meeting day, rejecting Trump's false claim that Norway would host a related event of the board and emphasizing that its position of non-participation is unshakable.

"Norway has clearly communicated that we will not become a member of the Board of Peace, and this position remains firm," Ane Jorem, a spokesperson for Norway's Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, turned down the invitation to attend, while the leaders of the UK, Germany and Sweden – all traditional U.S. allies – also earlier explicitly declined to join the initiative.

Billed by the White House as a key platform for Gaza's reconstruction, the meeting has in fact been revealed to function largely as a fundraising round.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting, Trump said the U.S. would contribute $10 billion to the initiative but did not specify the source of that funding.

The body's controversial membership rules have further drawn fire. It proposes offering permanent seats in exchange for a $1 billion donation, a provision widely criticized as commercializing international governance and turning a so-called peace body into a "VIP club for wealthy nations."

Worse still, the U.S. has set a $10 billion threshold for permanent membership in the body's core decision-making mechanism, with no independent audit or supervision mechanism for the funds, raising serious concerns over potential misappropriation and lack of accountability.

Speaking to the Guardian, Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former U.S. diplomat, noted that the "Board of Peace" is unable to resolve the key questions plaguing the conflict: who will govern Gaza, who will provide on-the-ground security and how to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people?

"This is a convenient way for a president who's interested in quick wins, transactions and a lot of motion in lieu of serious movement," Miller said, adding that while the body may secure impressive financial pledges, there is a huge gap between promises and actual delivery.

First launched by Trump on January 22 at the Davos World Economic Forum with the stated primary goal of Gaza's reconstruction, the body has since seen its mandate arbitrarily widened to cover "other global conflicts." This shift has reinforced fears that the U.S. is seeking to use the "Board of Peace" to usurp the UN's authority in global conflict resolution and impose a U.S.-dominated international order.

(With input from agencies)