Netherlands invited to join Trump's Gaza "peace council"

United States president Donald Trump has also asked the Netherlands to join his peace council for Gaza. A spokesperson for caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof confirmed this after a report by NRC. He has not yet commented on whether the caretaker Cabinet will accept the invitation.

Trump invited approximately 60 countries to join the “Board of Peace,” which is part of his plan to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The council will oversee the transitional administration in the densely populated Palestinian coastal strip.

“We are aware of the initiative,” said Schoof’s spokesperson. “The Netherlands has received an invitation, but we have not yet taken a position. There are still many questions about what exactly this entails.”

The exact role of the peace council is unclear. Trump said that the countries he selected will join the council for three years. If they want to become permanent members, they will have to pay a contribution of at least $1 billion. What he intends to do with that money has not been disclosed.

The invited countries are a diverse group. They include Canada, Argentina, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, and several European countries. Russia also says it has been approached, and according to the news agency Reuters, Trump also wants Israel to join.