A Peace board for Gaza is being formed, but the names of its members will be revealed next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Donald Trump is expected to attend between January 21st and 22nd. this is another step in the U.S. plan for the Middle East, following the start of meetings in Cairo with the 15 members of the Palestinian National Committee for the management of the Gaza Strip, led by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister of the Palestinian National Authority.
U.S. President Trump is considering expanding the ‘peace Board’ to other conflict areas,such as Ukraine and Venezuela. The Financial Times reports this, citing sources who say Western and Arab diplomats have expressed concerns about giving the new organization a mandate far beyond the Middle East.The Trump governance believes the ‘Peace Board’ could be a “potential replacement for the UN,” an unofficial parallel body to address conflicts beyond Gaza.
“It is a great honor for me to announce the formation of the Peace Council. Council members will be announced shortly, but I can confidently state that this is the largest and most prestigious council ever assembled, at any time and in any place,” Trump wrote on truth social. Invitations to join the Peace Board were sent two days ago, and the tycoon, who will chair it, personally selected its members. The 12-member Council, which is part of the second phase of the plan developed by the American president, is expected to include leaders or representatives from various Western and Middle eastern countries, including Italy (represented by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni), Germany, the United Kingdom, turkey, Qatar, and Egypt.
Tony Blair was initially expected to participate, but was quietly excluded after skepticism and hostility from some countries in the region due to his role in the disastrous U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.The former Labor Prime Minister will, though, join a seperate executive board, along with Trump advisors Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Nickolay Mladenov, former UN envoy for peace in the Middle east (2015-2020) and former Bulgarian Foreign Minister, will maintain relations between the Peace Board and the 15-member Palestinian technical committee.
Trump expressed his support on Truth Social for “the newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, supported by the High Representative of the board, to govern Gaza during its transition.” He stated, “Thes Palestinian leaders are firmly committed to a peaceful future!” He then issued another warning to Hamas: “With the support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, we will ensure a complete demilitarization agreement with hamas, involving the surrender of all weapons and the dismantling of every tunnel. Hamas must promptly honor its commitments, including the return of the last body to Israel, and proceed without delay towards complete demilitarization.” “Thay can do it the easy way or the hard way.The people of Gaza have suffered enough. The time is now,” he warned.
Moving forward with the second phase of the ceasefire, Washington and its mediation partners must address the challenging challenges of disarming Hamas, further Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the deployment of an international stabilization force. In a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco rubio, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reaffirmed Italy’s commitment “to the implementation of the second phase of the U.S. plan, on the front of humanitarian aid, security, governance and reconstruction.”
Meanwhile, the IDF and Shin Bet continue to hunt Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad military leaders in Gaza: the latest victims, hit in the nuseirat refugee camp, are Ahraf al-Khatib, a commander of the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian islamic Jihad, and his wife.Hours earlier, the Israeli army killed six people, including Muhammad al-Hawli, a commander of Hamas’s military wing, in an attack on his home in Deir al-Balah.
Riproduzione riservata © Copyright ANSA
