The White House is preparing the first meeting of the Peace Council on the reconstruction of Gaza
The White House plans to hold a meeting of the leaders of the Peace Council member countries on the Gaza Strip in Washington on 19 February. This was reported by an American official and diplomats from four countries that are members of this structure, according to Axios. According to them, the meeting is to be the first official gathering of the Peace Council and, at the same time, a conference to raise funds for the reconstruction of Gaza.
According to sources, preparations for the summit are in the early stages and the format of the meeting may still change. The White House has not provided any official comments. The US administration has already begun sending invitations to dozens of countries and is discussing the logistics of their leaders' participation. The event is expected to be held at the Peace Institute, which was recently renamed at the initiative of the US president.
The Peace Council was presented last month and immediately met with scepticism among Western allies. Some partners did not join the initiative due to the council's broad mandate and the US president's right to veto its decisions. Some countries believe that this structure could become an alternative to the UN Security Council. Currently, the Peace Council consists of 27 states and is headed by the US president. The structure's mandate includes monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, as well as working on issues of governance and reconstruction in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with the US president at the White House on 18 February, ahead of the meeting. Israel has agreed to join the Peace Council, but has not yet signed its charter. If Netanyahu attends the meeting, it will be his first public meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders since the attack on 7 October and the start of the war in Gaza.
At the same time, the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement is progressing slowly. Israel has agreed to open the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, but only a limited number of Palestinians are allowed to pass through it. The Palestinian technocratic government has already been formed, but has not yet entered Gaza and is operating from Egyptian territory.
The United States, together with Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, are in the early stages of negotiations on the demilitarisation of Hamas. Israel says that without the disarmament of militants, it will not withdraw its troops from Gaza and will not allow full reconstruction. According to the US representative to the UN, the plan calls for the destruction of all military infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons production facilities, under the supervision of international observers. A programme to buy weapons from Hamas members and the possibility of integrating some of them into the new security forces are also being considered.
At the same time, Israel is sceptical about the American initiatives. According to Netanyahu, Hamas will have a limited time frame for disarmament, after which Israel reserves the right to resume hostilities. The US denies this information and notes that the demilitarisation process may take much longer.
