The President of the United States, Donald Trump, convened a meeting of the Peace Council for the first time since its creation. While many of its members may not attend today’s meeting, some have confirmed their attendance.
What is expected at the Trump Peace Council meeting?
In today’s first meeting, Donald Trump is expected to address the group at the Donald J. Trump US Institute of Peace. The Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace is a building in Washington that the U.S. president renamed after himself.
Donald Trump is expected to announce $5 billion — part of an estimated $70 billion — for a war-torn Gaza reconstruction fund during his speech.
That money is expected to back up a fund that will likely need many more billions.
About $1.2 billion each of the proposed $5 billion package is expected to come from Washington’s two Gulf Arab allies – the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait – a US official told Reuters.
Notably, while the Peace Council includes Israel, no representative from the Palestinian Territory has been included in the group. The Peace Council is also expected to challenge the authority of the United Nations, which Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized.
According to reports, senior US officials said Trump will also announce that several countries plan to send thousands of troops to participate in the International Stabilization Force to help keep the peace in Gaza.
The disarmament of Hamas, a demand Israel has often made, is one of the main obstacles to troop deployment.
Who is likely to attend the meeting?
Delegations from 47 countries and the European Union are expected to attend the Peace Council meeting, US officials said.
The list includes Israel and a wide range of countries from Albania to Vietnam. Participants include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz and High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov.
“We have the greatest leaders in the world joining the Peace Council,” Donald Trump told reporters earlier this week. “I think it has a chance to be the most consistent record ever put together.
France, Britain, Russia and China, which refused to join the board, will not participate in the meeting. Germany, Italy, Norway and Switzerland did not join the council but are expected to attend the meeting as observers, the AP reported.
(With inputs from Reuters, AP)