India attended the inaugural meeting of United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza on Thursday as an “observer” country, but has not joined the board as a member, The Indian Express reported.
The first meeting was held at the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace in Washington. According to the list of attendees, India was represented by Namgya C Khampa, chargé d’affaires and deputy chief of mission at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also among those in attendance.
Trump announced that the US would commit $10 billion to the Board, but did not specify what it would be used for, Al Jazeera reported.
However, he asserted: “Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of a new and harmonious [region].”
India was among around a dozen countries participating as observers without formally joining the board. Others include Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The Board is widely perceived as a rival to the United Nations, and Trump has previously said it may replace the UN, which he argued had not lived up to its potential, PTI reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among world leaders invited by Trump to join the board, which was announced during the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza began in October 2023 after Hamas killed 1,200 persons during its incursion into southern Israel and took hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on besieged Gaza since then, leaving more than 67,000 persons dead.
Trump’s peace plan was approved by the United Nations Security Council in November, with Russia and China abstaining over concerns about the lack of clarity on how the Board of Peace would function and whether it would pave the way for Palestinian statehood.
The resolution has authorised the Board of Peace to oversee Gaza at least until the end of 2027.
During the meeting on Thursday, Trump also reiterated his claim that he had stopped “a war” between India and Pakistan by threatening to impose 200% tariffs if the two countries did not halt hostilities, The Indian Express reported.
New Delhi has rejected the claims and maintained that the ceasefire was not the result of mediation, and that the US was not involved in the talks. It maintained that trade was not discussed with the US during the period of the conflict in May.
Also read: India’s discernible shift away from Palestine
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