On Thursday, US President Donald Trump supervised the first meeting of the “Peace Council” that he established, an initiative that received praise from Trump’s allies, but also received criticism from countries that fear it will undermine the role of the United Nations.

Published on: 02/19/2026 - 17:55 Last updated: 02/19/2026 - 18:13

Under the supervision of its founder, US President Donald Trump, the “Peace Council” will hold its first meeting on Thursday, amid fears that this council will be a miniature substitute for the United Nations.

A closer look at this board:

What is the peace council proposed by Trump?

Trump first proposed establishing a peace council last September when he announced his plan to end Israel's war on Gaza. He later explained that the powers of this council, which he will chair, will expand to include resolving other conflicts in various parts of the world besides Gaza, a role that was traditionally carried out by the United Nations.

Read also: Trump chairs the first meeting of the “Peace Council” to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza and the formation of an international force in the Strip

Its charter stipulates that the term of membership of member states will be only three years, but if each country pays a billion dollars to finance the Council’s activities, it will then obtain permanent membership.

In January, the White House announced the appointment of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, as members of the initiative's founding executive board.

Read also: Ambiguous goals and conflicting rhetoric... What does the Trump Peace Council want?

Which countries have accepted Trump's invitation so far?

The Council's official account on X listed more than 20 countries as founding members of the initiative, including major allies of Washington in the Middle East. These include Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Turkey and the UAE also joined.

Read also: Trump announces at the opening of the first “Peace Council” meeting a contribution of more than $7 billion to relief efforts in Gaza

From the rest of the world, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam also joined.

What countries have not joined the Council?

Washington's major Western allies have not accepted offers to join the council, and major powers in the Global South, such as Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa, have also rejected the offer to join.

The leaders of Britain, the European Union, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden announced that they would not join the peace council.

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Trump withdrew Canada's invitation last month after objecting to Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech in Davos.

Brazil and Mexico said they would not join the initiative, citing the absence of the Palestinians from the Council. The Vatican did not join, indicating that crisis management should be the responsibility of the United Nations.

Nor did China and Russia, which have veto power in the UN Security Council, join it.

What are the powers of the Peace Council?

The UN Security Council in November passed a US-drafted resolution recognizing the council, welcoming it as an interim interim administration that “will establish the general framework and coordinate financing for the reconstruction of Gaza” under Trump’s plan, until the Palestinian Authority is satisfactorily reformed.

The resolution authorized the Peace Council to deploy a temporary international stabilization force in Gaza, with its scope limited to Gaza until the end of 2027 only. The mandate requires the Peace Council to report to the 15-member Security Council every six months on progress achieved.

China and Russia abstained from voting, saying the resolution did not give the United Nations a clear role in Gaza's future. Beyond Gaza, it is not yet clear what legal authority or enforcement tools the peace council may have or how it will cooperate with the United Nations and other international organizations.

Under the Peace Council's charter, it will undertake "peace-establishing tasks in accordance with international law." The Council’s charter stipulates that its president, in this case Trump, will have broad executive authority, including the right to veto decisions and dismiss members, subject to some restrictions.

What did the opponents say?

Human rights experts said that Trump's supervision of a council that administers the affairs of foreign lands is close to colonial practices, and they criticized the council for not including a Palestinian representative even though it is charged with supervising the temporary administration of Palestinian lands.

Council critics also pointed to Blair's inclusion, given his role in the Iraq War and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East. The Council has come under scrutiny because it includes countries whose human rights records have been widely condemned by human rights organizations, such as some powers in the Middle East, in addition to Belarus and El Salvador.

There was particular criticism of Israel's inclusion in a council dedicated to supervising the interim administration of Gaza, given the devastation inflicted on the Palestinian Strip as a result of the Israeli attack, which killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and displaced the entire population of Gaza, and led to accusations of war crimes and genocide.

Who will attend the meeting?

Almost all countries joining the council will attend Thursday's meeting.

A senior US official said that more than 20 other countries would participate as observers. These include Asian allies Japan and South Korea, in addition to India and Thailand.

Other observers include Britain and the European Union, along with member states: Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Norway and Switzerland will also participate as observers, as will Mexico and the Sultanate of Oman.

Topics to be discussed include Gaza reconstruction, humanitarian assistance efforts and the deployment of the stabilization force.

France 24/Reuters

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