Nine Muslim countries agreed to join the Gaza Peace Council created by US President Donald Trump, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday, LETA reports citing AFP.
The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey made a "joint decision" to join their countries to this council, which will be led by Trump, according to a joint statement. It also notes that they support Trump's "peace efforts" to end the armed conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Later, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on platform X that the country also agreed to join the Gaza Peace Council.
The Trump administration sent invitations to join the Gaza Peace Council to dozens of world leaders. Countries were also urged to contribute up to one billion US dollars for a permanent seat on the council's board. This payment is not mentioned in the statement from Saudi Arabia.
The Peace Council was created as part of Trump's peace plan to end the war in Gaza and is supposed to oversee the governance of the territory during a transitional period. However, diplomats familiar with the council's charter indicated that this is an open challenge to the UN. Apparently, the US aims to significantly expand the powers of the Peace Council, including tasks to promote stability and resolve conflicts worldwide.
France and Norway declined to join the Gaza Peace Council.
Netanyahu accepted the invitation to join it but expressed objections to the inclusion of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali al-Tawadi on the board of the Gaza Peace Council.
