India attends 1st meet of Trump's 'Board of Peace' on Gaza as observer

India participated in the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s 'Board of Peace' on Gaza on Thursday (local time), but only as an observer nation and not as a formal member of the initiative. 

Namgya Khampa, Charge d’affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, represented New Delhi at the session held at the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace. India has not officially joined the board, which Trump has projected as a central platform for rebuilding the Gaza Strip. 

India is among around a dozen countries that chose to attend as observers without becoming members. Other nations taking part in a similar capacity include Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 

 

Notably, India had skipped the launch ceremony of the board at the World Economic Forum (WEF)  in Davos last month, where Trump formally unveiled the initiative. At the time, he described it as a mechanism aimed at ensuring lasting peace in Gaza and potentially addressing other global challenges. 

Although India received an invitation to join the board, the Ministry of External Affairs had earlier this month said that the proposal was still under consideration. 

According to the Associated Press, nearly 50 countries and the European Union sent representatives to Thursday’s meeting. Most nations were represented by senior officials. However, some leaders attended in person, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentine President Javier Milei, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Hungarian President Viktor Orban.  ALSO READ | Trump says 9 Board of Peace members pledge $7 bn for Gaza relief

What were the outcomes of the meeting?

At the inaugural meeting, Trump announced that nine countries, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait, had agreed to contribute a combined $7 billion towards a relief package for Gaza. 

He further declared that the US would pledge $10 billion for the Board of Peace, although he did not specify how the funds would be allocated. 

Several countries also made security-related commitments. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania pledged to send troops for a Gaza stabilisation force. Meanwhile, Egypt and Jordan committed to training police personnel. 

According to the Associated Press, troops are expected to be initially deployed to Rafah, a largely destroyed and sparsely populated city currently under full Israeli control, where the US administration intends to begin reconstruction efforts.  ALSO READ | Would love to have China, Russia on Gaza Board of Peace, says Trump

What did Trump say at the meeting?

Addressing the gathering, Trump said, “Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t, will be.” He added that both China and Russia had been invited to join the initiative, stating, “I would love to have China and Russia. They’ve been invited. You need both.” 

Trump also reiterated his earlier claim that he had stopped the war between India and Pakistan last year. He said he had threatened both countries with 200 per cent tariffs if they did not halt hostilities. 

India has rejected this assertion, maintaining that the cessation of military action followed direct talks between the two countries’ Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs). 

Responding to criticism that the Board of Peace could rival the United Nations (UN), Trump dismissed such concerns. He argued that the initiative would, in fact, strengthen the UN in the long term. 

“Someday I won’t be here. The United Nations will be,” Trump said. “I think it is going to be much stronger, and the Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the UN and making sure it runs properly."