Trump's "Peace Council": A declaration of war on the UN?
US President Donald Trump initially intended to create a so-called “Board of Peace” (BoP) to oversee peace and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. The United Nations (UN) approved this last November with Resolution 2803. Some international law experts now consider this a violation of international law.
But now it seems that Trump wants to create this peace council under his leadership, independent of the Middle East conflict. The founding charter, published on Sunday (18.01.2026) by the Israeli newspaper "Times of Israel", does not even mention the Gaza Strip.
What exactly is Trump's "Peace Council"?
According to the Peace Council’s charter, the body aims to “promote stability, restore credible and legitimate governance, and ensure sustainable peace” around the world — specifically in “conflict-affected or threatened areas.” The document grants its chairman broad powers. The charter names Donald Trump as the founding chairman. However, the Gaza Strip is not mentioned.
Who can become a member?
According to the statute, it is the sole responsibility of the president to invite states to become members. Membership is limited to three years, but can be extended by the president. Only states that contribute more than one billion US dollars to the financing of the “Peace Council” within the first year of its establishment will remain permanent members.
According to media reports, around 60 countries have so far received an invitation to the “Peace Council.” This has been confirmed by several NATO countries, including Germany, Turkey, Hungary, and Canada.
The Kremlin also confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had received the invitation and was considering accepting it. In the Middle East, Egypt and Jordan, as well as Pakistan, confirmed receipt of invitations. The presidents of Argentina, Javier Milli, and Paraguay, Santiago Peña, expressed their gratitude for the invitation.
Are there also individual members of the "Peace Council"?
There has been considerable concern over the fact that Donald Trump appointed certain individuals to the committee: his son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga, American billionaire Marc Rowan, and other political allies from the US.
However, it is said that this does not refer to membership in the council itself, but rather to positions on various subcommittees of the council. The charter stipulates that only states – represented by their respective heads of state or government – may be voting members of the “Peace Council”.
Does the "Peace Council" compete with the UN?
In the very first paragraph of the preamble, the charter of the “Peace Council” states that lasting peace requires “a break from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.” The United Nations is not mentioned by name, but Trump has repeatedly criticized the UN, describing it as a dysfunctional organization. The UN was founded almost 80 years ago at the instigation of then-US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The organization now has 193 member states.
Eliav Lieblich, an international law expert at Tel Aviv University, is certain: “The charter is clearly intended to be a challenge to the UN and a sign of distrust towards this organization,” as he said in an interview with the German daily newspaper “taz.”
How should the "Peace Council" function?
The “Peace Council” relies heavily on the role of the chairman. As mentioned, the chairman is not only the only one authorized to invite new members, but also the only one authorized to remove existing members from the council prematurely. A veto by the other members is possible, this requires a two-thirds majority./DW
