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LAST UPDATE | 19 Jan
THE UNITED STATES has invited Ireland to play a role on the so-called “Board of Peace” that would govern the Gaza Strip in Palestine, but Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said this morning that she had concerns about the scope of its proposed mandate.
US President Donald Trump has also invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the board, the Kremlin said this morning.
“President Putin also received an invitation to join this Board of Peace,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, adding that Russia was seeking to “clarify all the nuances” of the offer with Washington.
Putin is one of a long list of world leaders who have now been invited to join the board.
Among them are Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, among others.
The US announced over the weekend that former UK prime minister Tony Blair and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would also be members of the board alongside Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special negotiator and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.
Countries seeking a permanent seat on the board, which aims for “enduring peace” worldwide, must pay $1 billion in cash, according to a draft charter seen by the AFP news agency.
“The Board of Peace is an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” reads the preamble of the charter sent to countries invited to participate.
“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,” the charter says.
“The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.”
The charter does not mention Gaza, The New York Times reported.
McEntee attended a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels yesterday, which was convened in response to US President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and his announcement of intentions to impose tariffs on NATO allies if they did not cooperate.
The “Board of Peace” was also discussed.
In a statement following that meeting, McEntee said the US-organised board “would have a mandate wider than the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan”, which includes the nominal ceasefire between Israel and armed Palestinian groups in the devastated territory.
“The United Nations has a unique mandate to maintain international peace and security, and the legitimacy to bring nations together to find common solutions to shared challenges,” the statement read.
“While it may be imperfect, the UN and the primacy of international law is more important now than ever. Ireland’s commitment to the UN and the primacy of the UN Charter is without question.”
McEntee confirmed Ireland had been invited to join the board, but said: “We will need to give this careful consideration.”
“It is essential for attention to remain focused on Gaza and on the full implementation of Phase Two of the peace plan. This is central to achieving progress on the ground and to supporting a sustainable path forward.”
In an interview with RTÉ this morning, McEntee noted that she had visited the Rafah border crossing during a trip to Egypt last week, adding that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains “dire”.
Tonnes of humanitarian aid sent from around the world remains stuck in warehouses near the border because Israel has denied its entry. Much of the medication there is due to expire soon or already has, as The Journal reported.
Israel has also repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement since it came into effect last October, killing hundreds of people.
Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online.
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