Pak Named To Donald Trump's 'Board Of Peace' Despite Israel's Objection

Pakistan on Thursday was confirmed as a member of the 'Board of Peace' set up by US President Donald Trump as an "international organisation that seeks to promote stability... and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict".

India is on a long list of other countries invited to join the group - originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza - but has not responded to the invitation as yet.

That said, seeing Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stand alongside Trump and other members of the 'Board of Peace', which includes Islamabad's ally Turkey, will not have gone down well in India, which has repeatedly flagged Pakistan's involvement in cross-border terrorist attacks, including the horrific April 22 attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan's inclusion has also been questioned by Israel.

Speaking to NDTV earlier this month, the Israeli envoy to India rejected any proposal to include the Pak military in any boots-on-the-ground plan for Gaza. Reuven Azar told NDTV Israel is not comfortable with Pakistan participation due to concern over growing links between Hamas and terror groups operating from Pak soil, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

"There is an effort right now to try to create a situation in which we can move forward, but for that, Hamas must be dismantled. There is no way around it," he said, noting countries normally cooperate only with those they trust and with whom they have proper diplomatic relations.

"This is not the situation right now," he remarked, making it clear that Israel does not see Pakistan as a credible or acceptable partner in any Gaza stabilisation mechanism.

Israel Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat was similarly emphatic, stating that the presence of Pak soldiers in any transition force or reconstruction mission is 'unacceptable'.

Who's on 'Board of Peace'

Apart from the US, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, the other countries on this first iteration of the board are Argentina, Indonesia, Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a nationalist who is Trump's most ardent supporter in the European Union, is in, as is another close ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

And in his opening remarks, Trump claimed that "everybody" wants to be a part of the 'Board of Peace' and said that he will continue to "work with many others, including the United Nations".

He also said the board will start with a focus on Gaza but then look globally.

"I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza... we're going to be very successful in Gaza," the US President declared, adding, "We can do numerous other things. Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do."

There are, however, notable absences from the 'Board of Peace', including western European heavyweights like France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, as well as Russia.

Another notable absence is China. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman confirmed an invitation was received but said Beijing would defend the international system with the United Nations "at its core".

Who will run it?

Trump will be chairman but also "separately serve" as representative of the US.

"The chairman shall have exclusive authority to create, modify or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfil the Board of Peace's mission," the board's charter stated.

He will pick members of an executive board to be "leaders of global stature" to "serve two-year terms, subject to removal by the chairman". The chairman, meanwhile, can be replaced only in case of "voluntary resignation or as a result of incapacity".

And a US official confirmed to news agency AFP that Trump can keep the chairmanship, even after leaving the White House, "until he resigns it", although a future US president can appoint a different US representative.