JERUSALEM(National Times)- Divisions emerged Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s Board of Peace as its ambitions have grown beyond Gaza, with some Western European countries declining to join, others remaining noncommittal and a group of Muslim countries agreeing to sign on. The developments underscored European concerns over the expanded and divisive scope of the project \u2014 which some say may seek to rival the U.N. Security Council\u2019s role in mediating global conflicts. Trump is looking to form the board officially this week on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Norway and Sweden said they won\u2019t accept their invitations, after France also said no, while a bloc of Muslim-majority nations \u2014 Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates \u2014 said in a joint statement that their leaders would join. It was not immediately clear how many countries would accept. A White House official said about 30 countries were expected to join, and about 50 had been invited. Two other U.S. officials, who similiarly spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal plans not yet made public, said roughly 60 countries had been invited but only 18 had so far confirmed their participation. Trump was sunny about the prospects ahead of an event Thursday tied to the board, saying of the countries that were invited that \u201csome need parliamentary approval but for the most part, everybody wants to be on.\u201d Later, Trump defended his choice of invitees, including some leaders considered to be autocratic. \u201cI have some controversial people,\u201d he said. \u201cBut these are people that get the job done. These are people that have tremendous influence.\u201d Chaired by Trump, the board was originally conceived as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan. But the Trump administration\u2019s ambitions have since expanded into a more sprawling concept, with Trump hinting at the board\u2019s role as mediator for other global conflicts. Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he\u2019s agreed to join the board \u2014 a departure from an earlier stance when his office criticized the makeup of another committee tasked with overseeing Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Norway and Sweden say no, following in France\u2019s footsteps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Norway\u2019s state secretary, Kristoffer Thoner, said the Scandinavian country would not join the board because it \u201craises a number of questions that requires further dialogue with the United States.\u201d Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on the sidelines of Davos that his country wouldn\u2019t sign up for the board as the text currently stands, Swedish news agency TT reported, though the country hasn\u2019t formally responded. Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said that \u201cthe time has not yet come to accept the invitation,\u201d according to the STA news agency. The main concern is the board\u2019s mandate is too broad and could seriously undermine international order based on the U.N. Charter, Golob said. France declined the invitation earlier in the week. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, \u201cYes to implementing the peace plan presented by the president of the United States, which we wholeheartedly support, but no to creating an organization as it has been presented, which would replace the United Nations.\u201d The United Kingdom, the European Union\u2019s executive arm, Canada, Russia, Ukraine and China also have not yet indicated their response to Trump\u2019s invitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several in the Middle East and beyond say they will join<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Parties key to the Gaza ceasefire \u2014 Egypt and Israel \u2014 have said they would join the board, as have Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Morocco, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Netanyahu\u2019s decision was significant because his office had previously said the composition of a Gaza executive committee \u2014 which includes Turkey, Israel\u2019s key regional rival, and will work with those governing the territory day to day \u2014 was not coordinated with the Israeli government and ran \u201ccontrary to its policy,\u201d without clarifying its objections. The move could now put Netanyahu in conflict with some of the far-right allies in his coalition, such as Israel\u2019s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has criticized the board and called for Israel to take unilateral responsibility for Gaza\u2019s future. Many questions remain about the board. When asked by a reporter on Tuesday if the board would replace the U.N., Trump said: \u201cIt might.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" JERUSALEM(National Times)- Divisions emerged Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s Board of Peace as its ambitions have grown beyond Gaza, with some Western European countries declining to join, others remaining noncommittal and a group of Muslim countries agreeing to sign on. The developments underscored European concerns over the expanded and divisive scope of the project […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n