Originally designed to organize the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, the Peace Council wanted by Donald Trump will hold its first meeting in Washington on Thursday. A very political meeting, which divides the allies of the United States and fuels accusations of direct competition with the UN. Who will be present and what will the agenda be? France 24 takes stock.

Published on: 02/18/2026 - 07:28 Modified on: 02/19/2026 - 10:18

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A diplomatic launch that divides even before its first meeting. Delegations from countries that have agreed to join Donald Trump's Peace Council will meet Thursday, February 19 in Washington. Leaders and high-ranking representatives meet to mark the birth of this controversial body, one month after the signing of its charter at the Davos Economic Forum, in Switzerland.

Since Israel's accession on February 11, the organization claims 27 states as "founding members" on its X account. The inaugural session will be held at the United States Institute of Peace, recently renamed by the State Department the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.

Originally, the Peace Council was to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, devastated by the war launched after the October 7 massacres. Its mandate has since been expanded by Donald Trump to resolve armed conflicts around the world. This new ambition fuels the reserves of many Western allies, especially since membership as a permanent member comes with a billion-dollar entry ticket. An operation which reinforces criticism seeing in this body a “paid” and politicized version of the United Nations Security Council.

See also Trump's "Peace Council", "billion-dollar diplomatic club"

Who will be present as a member of the Peace Council?

At this stage, the true scale of participation in this meeting remains unclear. Among the confirmed members are leaders openly close to Donald Trump. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was the first to publicly announce his presence, on February 7, during a political rally. The next day, it was Argentinian President Javier Milei who confirmed his arrival, through his chief of staff.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama also confirmed his presence, while distancing himself financially. “Albania has the privilege of being a founding state, and it will not contribute financially to join or remain as a permanent member,” he said on Sunday.

Several Asian leaders are also expected. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, head of the world's most populous Muslim country, accepted the invitation. Vietnam has confirmed the presence of its leader To Lam, Hanoi having justified its accession in January by its support for the peace plan for Gaza. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is also expected.

For his part, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli arrived in Washington on Tuesday to participate in the meeting on behalf of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Delegations from Türkiye and Qatar are also expected to be present. The United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain were among the first signatories to the founding charter in January. Countries also signatories to the Abraham Accords which allowed a normalization of relations with Israel in 2020, during Donald Trump's first term.

On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not expected to make the trip, according to the Associated Press, despite recent exchanges at the White House with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Israel will, however, be represented by its Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, his services announced on Tuesday.

Which observers around the table?

Failing to join, several countries and organizations have chosen to ensure a presence as observers. The European Union will be represented by Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Suica, with the stated objective of conveying the European position on the situation in Gaza, without formally joining the body.

Same approach for Italy. After having excluded any membership for "insurmountable" constitutional reasons, Rome will be represented by its Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, a participation confirmed by the person concerned during a trip to Albania. The head of Italian diplomacy underlined his country's desire to contribute to the training of police forces in Gaza and the Palestinian Territories.

Romania will also participate as an observer, its president Nicusor Dan having confirmed his presence. Greece will be represented by its Deputy Foreign Minister Harry Theoharis. The Czech Republic and Cyprus will also be among the observers.

Who will be absent?

The list of absentees will be almost as scrutinized as that of participants. Of the sixty countries invited by Donald Trump to join the Peace Council, a significant number declined the invitation or chose not to follow through.

Around ten States have explicitly refused to join and are not expected to participate in the inaugural meeting, unless there is a last minute change of heart as observers. France made it known on January 19 that it would not give “any favorable response” at this stage. The head of French diplomacy Jean-Noël Barrot justified this position by emphasizing the incompatibility of the Council with Paris' commitments within the UN.

Spain, Poland, Croatia, New Zealand and Norway also declined the invitation. Other European states have indicated that they would only consider participation on the condition of a modification of the founding charter.

Added to these refusals are silences. Several invited countries have never responded officially and are therefore expected to be absent on Thursday. This is the case of Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who accuses Donald Trump of wanting to pose as "master" of a "new UN". The Brazilian president pleads for a Council strictly limited to Gaza and including "a seat for Palestine".

Another notable absence: that of Canada. The shady tenant of the White House withdrew his invitation to Prime Minister Mark Carney after the latter publicly responded to Donald Trump's attacks, saying that Canada "does not exist thanks to the United States."

See also Canada vs Trump: the tone rises, border residents get organized

The Vatican, for its part, announced on Tuesday evening that it would not take part in the Peace Council. His secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, acknowledged that Italy's decision to participate as an observer left him "a little perplexed."

Who runs the Peace Council?

The Peace Council is based on a very tight governance structure around Donald Trump. The American president is in charge, surrounded by an executive committee made up of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, as well as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The committee also includes Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, American private equity billionaire Marc Rowan, and Robert Gabriel, deputy national security adviser.

Read also Trump plan for Gaza: the returning Jared Kushner can hope to win the day

On January 21, Donald Trump acknowledged the divisive nature of these appointments. "I have some controversial people. But these are people who get the job done. These are people who have considerable influence," he said.

The charter provides that Member States vote on the proposals submitted, which must then be validated by the President of the Council.

On the ground, the Council will supervise the activities of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), responsible for the logistical management of the Palestinian territory. Made up of fifteen Palestinians, the committee is headed by Ali Shaath, former deputy minister of planning. Its missions exclude any political responsibility.

To ensure coordination between the bodies, former Bulgarian Foreign Minister and UN diplomat Nikolay Mladenov was appointed High Representative for Gaza, responsible for acting as a link between the Executive Council and the NCAG.

What is the agenda?

Several announcements are expected. According to Donald Trump, member states should formalize a commitment of more than $5 billion (4.22 billion euros) for reconstruction and humanitarian aid in Gaza, he announced on Sunday on his Truth Social network.

In an interview with the New York Post, Donald Trump clarified that these $5 billion would only constitute a "down payment" on a total of $70 billion in projects validated by his Peace Council. The stated objective: transform the Gaza Strip into a regional economic hub, compared by the American president to Dubai or Doha.

Also read: Cities managed by AI, artificial islands and colossal profits... Trump's plan for Gaza

The Peace Council also plans the deployment of "thousands of people" within an "international stabilization force" and local police forces, supposed to guarantee "the security and peace of Gazans", in the words used by the American president on Truth Social.

There remains a series of major unknowns. No details have been communicated on the contributing countries, nor on the exact composition of the stabilization force. At this stage, only one concrete commitment has been made public: Indonesia announced that up to 8,000 troops could be ready by the end of June for possible deployment to Gaza, as part of a humanitarian and peacekeeping mission.

In what context does this meeting take place?

This inaugural meeting is being held as the American administration attempts to initiate the second phase of the plan carried by Donald Trump to put a lasting end to the war in the Gaza Strip. Announced in mid-January, this new stage of the ceasefire is however struggling to materialize on the ground.

The Israeli army still controls more than half of the territory, while Israel and Hamas – which categorically refuses to lay down their arms under the conditions demanded by Israel – accuse each other daily of violations of the truce. It is in this climate that the Islamist movement directly challenged the Peace Council. On Tuesday, through its spokesperson Hazem Qassem, Hamas urged members of the body to act to force “the Israeli occupation to put an end to its violations” while, according to it, the “war of genocide continues”. Since the truce took effect in October, 601 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Also read Housing, food, money: how do the inhabitants of Gaza survive?

It is in this context that the Peace Council, initially thought of as a tool centered on Gaza, saw its scope expand. Supported in November by a United Nations Security Council resolution proposed by Washington, the initiative now presents itself as an “action body” capable of intervening in other global conflicts.

A shift assumed by the American administration. At the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the UN had played "virtually no role" in conflict resolution, calling for reform of global institutions. The American president himself praised on Truth Social the “limitless potential” of this new body.

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