Current format of Trump's Board of Peace 'not ideal', prime minister says
Robert Abela got backlash from his own party last week after indicating openness to joining
The format of the Board of Peace proposed by US President Donald Trump is not an ideal one, and several questions surrounding the nature of the initiative remain unanswered, the prime minister said on Monday.
His comments to journalists came after he sparked a backlash from his own party last week when he said in parliament that Malta was seeking legal advice following an invitation to join the board and he did not rule it out.
The setting up of the Board of Peace has been proposed by Trump with the stated purpose of promoting stability, restoring governance, and securing enduring peace in conflict-affected regions around the world. He plans to chair it.
Critics of the board have decried the inclusion of world leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, while pointing out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also on the board while Palestinian voices have been sidelined.
Without stating whether he agreed on the participation of such figures, Abela told journalists on Monday that the current format of the board was not an ideal one.
Noting that the board was initially proposed to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza and the rebuilding process, he asked:
“Should the Board of Peace include the Palestinian Authority? Should it be an invitation to all EU member states rather than a selective one, since that can lead to division among member states?” he said.
Asked what legal advice the government had received about joining the board, Abela said on Monday that the discussion was still in its “evaluation phase.”
“The choice is whether or not we should be at the negotiating table while a massacre is being carried out. The easiest thing to do would be to slam the door on the invitation and reject it, with all the repercussions that would bring with it. Can we bring about change by staying far away from negotiations that could potentially lead to peace?” Abela said.
He added that since the signing of the 20-point peace plan for Gaza in October, there had been an improvement in the situation on the ground in the Palestinian enclave.
The board was initially seen as a way to help end the two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and oversee reconstruction. But the draft charter makes no mention of Gaza and appears intended to replace some UN functions.
Abela said that several questions surrounding the board remained unanswered, namely whether the board was intended to be a competitor to the United Nations and ultimately take its place, whether it was a temporary set-up and whether its remit would be limited to Gaza.
“These are the issues we need to discuss as a society, without rushing. We should see what formal position the EU will take. My aim is to minimise deaths and put a stop to them.”
Abela said that Malta was among the first countries to send humanitarian aid to Gaza following the start of Israel’s offensive that has killed around 67,000 people, while also taking in several Palestinian children who required medical treatment.
Abela’s comments in parliament last week sparked backlash, with several party officials and members of the PL parliamentary group expressing concerns.