Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation to join US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace. A statement from his office said Netanyahu would become a member of the board which is to be comprised of world leaders.
The board was originally thought to be aimed at helping end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. But its proposed charter does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to supplant functions of the UN.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have also agreed to join, as have Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Vietnam. Many others have expressed reservations.
It is not clear how many countries have been invited to join Trump's new body - Canada, Russia, Turkey, and the UK are among them, but have not yet publicly responded. Norway has said it will not join because the current proposal raises a number of questions, while France and Sweden have indicated they will do the same.
According to a copy of the charter leaked to the media, member states will be given a renewable three-year term, but they can secure a permanent place if they contribute $1bn (£740m) of funding to the board. The document says the Board of Peace will be an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict. It will undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law, it adds.
As chairman, Trump will have exclusive authority to create, modify or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfill the Board of Peace's mission. He will also select leaders of global stature to serve two-year terms on an Executive Board that will help deliver the mission of the Board of Peace.
There are significant challenges ahead, especially in the context of the fragile ceasefire and the deep-rooted complexities of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The peace process faces skepticism, especially regarding the involvement of key players not wholly aligned with either side's perspectives.
The board was originally thought to be aimed at helping end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. But its proposed charter does not mention the Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to supplant functions of the UN.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have also agreed to join, as have Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Vietnam. Many others have expressed reservations.
It is not clear how many countries have been invited to join Trump's new body - Canada, Russia, Turkey, and the UK are among them, but have not yet publicly responded. Norway has said it will not join because the current proposal raises a number of questions, while France and Sweden have indicated they will do the same.
According to a copy of the charter leaked to the media, member states will be given a renewable three-year term, but they can secure a permanent place if they contribute $1bn (£740m) of funding to the board. The document says the Board of Peace will be an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict. It will undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law, it adds.
As chairman, Trump will have exclusive authority to create, modify or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfill the Board of Peace's mission. He will also select leaders of global stature to serve two-year terms on an Executive Board that will help deliver the mission of the Board of Peace.
There are significant challenges ahead, especially in the context of the fragile ceasefire and the deep-rooted complexities of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The peace process faces skepticism, especially regarding the involvement of key players not wholly aligned with either side's perspectives.
