Haaretz: Greenland may prevent EU countries from joining the Peace Council
Diplomats have predicted that European Union countries will refuse to join the peace council for the Gaza Strip, which is being formed by US President Donald Trump, due to his threats to annex the island of Greenland by force, according to the Israeli Haaretz newspaper.
Many countries have announced that their leaders have received invitations from Trump to join the Peace Council, one of the structures of the transitional phase in Gaza, as part of the US president’s plan.
Haaretz reported that diplomats said that Trump’s announcement of the creation of the Peace Council is expected to face stiff opposition from EU member states (27 countries).
“It’s expected that these countries will refuse to join the council,” Haaretz added.
“No European would agree to that,” according to a diplomat who spoke to Haaretz newspaper.
As for the reason for the possible rejection, Haaretz newspaper quoted an unnamed European diplomat as saying that “Trump’s threats about (Washington’s desire to annex) Greenland were too much for the EU”.
Trump claims Denmark has done nothing to prevent Russian influence in Greenland, an autonomous region within Denmark that refuses to join the United States, which threatens to use force to annex it.
Regarding the leaders who received invitations, Haaretz quoted diplomats as saying that Trump has extended an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the Peace Council.
On Monday, Moscow had already announced that Putin had received the invitation.
Haaretz quoted a diplomat as saying, “I find it hard to believe that Putin will respond positively to Trump’s call and agree to submit to him”.
“Based on the available information, Ukraine has also received an invitation to join the Peace Council,” Haaretz quoted another diplomat as saying.
Two sources also reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received an invitation and was aware that Türkiye and Qatar would receive an invitation to join both the Peace Council and the Gaza Executive Council.
Israel is opposing the possibility of Ankara and Doha getting involved in Gaza issue, after a two-year war.
According to Haaretz, the Peace Council aims to compete with the United Nations, in accordance with its charter.
According to its charter, the council will work to: restore good governance and law, and ensure lasting peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.
The Council also implicitly criticizes the United Nations, with its introduction emphasizing the need for a more flexible and effective international peacebuilding body.
Lasting peace requires courage to abandon institutions that have failed repeatedly.
In accordance with the charter, the decisions of the Council will be made by vote, and will be subject to Trump’s approval.
The charter treats the presidency of the Council as a personal role that isn’t tied to the presidency of the United States, as it states that Donald Trump will serve as the inaugural chair of the Peace Council.
The charter states that Trump’s appointment as president will only be terminated if he chooses to do so or because of incapacity, which must be determined by a unanimous vote of the Executive Board.
This text indicates that Trump will be able to take office even if he is no longer president of the United States.
Board members will meet to vote at least once a year, and the agenda for these meetings will be set by the Executive Board, which includes representatives from Trump along with other representatives.
“Trump will also have exclusive authority to create or dissolve subsidiary bodies, issue binding resolutions, appoint his successor, and permanently dissolve or renew the organization (the Peace Council) whenever he chooses every two years,” according to Haaretz newspaper.
