The United Nations Security Council is preparing for a high-stakes meeting this Wednesday to discuss the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza and Israel’s controversial moves to extend its influence over the West Bank. This gathering comes just before global leaders are set to convene in Washington for the inaugural session of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, focused on the future of Palestinian territories.
Originally slated for Thursday, the U.N. meeting in New York was rescheduled to avoid a scheduling conflict with Trump’s board meeting. This shift highlights the potential for overlapping agendas between the U.N.’s influential body and the Trump administration’s new initiative. There are growing apprehensions in some nations that this board could position itself as a competitor to the Security Council, with far-reaching aims of mediating international disputes.
Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour weighed in on the dual meetings, expressing a desire for the international community to halt Israel’s illegal annexation efforts. He emphasized the importance of both meetings, whether in Washington or New York, in addressing these critical issues.
This month’s session of the 15-member Security Council will also host foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Indonesia, among others. The push for this meeting came from several Arab and Islamic nations, eager to address the contentious issues surrounding Gaza and the West Bank settlements before heading to Washington.
The Board of Peace, to be chaired by Trump, was initially conceived as a focused group of world leaders tasked with overseeing a 20-point plan for Gaza. However, with the U.S. president’s expansive vision for the board to act as a global conflict mediator, there has been skepticism from some key allies about its potential impact and efficacy.
The board to be chaired by Trump was originally envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing his 20-point plan for Gaza’s future. But the Republican president’s ambitious new vision for the board to be a mediator of worldwide conflicts has led to skepticism from major allies.
While more than 20 countries have so far accepted an invitation to join the board, close U.S. partners, including France, Germany and others, have opted not to join yet and renewed support for the U.N., which also is in the throes of major reforms and funding cuts.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., dismissed concerns about the composition of the Board of Peace, telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in an interview Monday that the most relevant countries, including Qatar and Egypt, which are in touch with Hamas’ leadership, have accepted the invitation.
“All of those countries are on the Board of Peace, singing the same tune as the United States,” he said.
The Security Council will be meeting a day after nearly all of its 15 members — minus the United States — and dozens of other diplomats joined Palestinian ambassador Mansour as he read a statement on behalf of 80 countries and several organizations condemning Israel’s latest actions in the West Bank, demanding an immediate reversal and underlining “strong opposition to any form of annexation.”
Israel, whose U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday’s meeting, is launching a contentious land regulation process that will deepen its control in the occupied West Bank. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said it amounts to “de facto sovereignty” that will block the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Outraged Palestinians, Arab countries and human rights groups have called the moves an illegal annexation of the territory, home to roughly 3.4 million Palestinians who seek it for a future state.
The U.N. meeting also is expected to delve into the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal that took effect Oct. 10 after more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. The U.K., which currently holds the presidency of the council, said the meeting will include briefings by U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo and by Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives for the first time since the Oct. 7 attacks.
Aspects of the ceasefire deal have moved forward, including Hamas releasing all the hostages it was holding and increased amounts of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza, though the U.N. says the level is insufficient. A new technocratic committee has been appointed to administer Gaza’s daily affairs.
But the most challenging steps lie ahead, including the deployment of an international security force, disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza.
Trump said this week that the Board of Peace members have pledged $5 billion toward Gaza reconstruction and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory. He didn’t provide details. Indonesia’s military says up to 8,000 of its troops are expected to be ready by the end of June for a potential deployment to Gaza as part of a humanitarian and peace mission.
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