00:00It's another step in U.S. President Donald Trump's ambitious plan for Gaza and potentially the world.
00:05More than 20 countries will attend the Board of Peace's first meeting in Washington on Thursday.
00:11Israel, along with several other Middle Eastern delegations such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey will also be
00:17joining.
00:18However, despite the summit being about the future of Gaza, there is no direct Palestinian representation.
00:24The aim of this first meeting will be to shore up fundraising and to propel Trump's fragile ceasefire plan for
00:30the enclave.
00:31President Trump will host a Board of Peace meeting at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace,
00:36where he will announce that member states have pledged more than five billion dollars towards the Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction
00:44efforts
00:45and have also committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and local police
00:52to maintain security and peace for Gazans.
00:56But the White House's efforts have not been entirely embraced by everyone.
01:00Major European allies such as France, Germany and the U.K. have decided not to join the Board.
01:06The EU Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen also declined an invitation.
01:10Instead, the Bloc and some other European countries will send observers.
01:15Meanwhile, another snub came from the Vatican.
01:18The Holy See's top diplomatic official said such crisis efforts should be managed by the UN.
01:26No, the Vatican will not participate in the Board of Peace, given its particular nature,
01:30which is clearly not that of other states.
01:34Evidently, there are points that leave us a little perplexed,
01:37some critical points that need to be explained.
01:46The White House called the decision deeply unfortunate and insisted it was a legitimate organization.
01:52Trump himself suggested it would expand beyond Gaza and aim to tackle global conflicts.
01:57This has raised concerns that the Board of Peace might try and compete with the United Nations itself.
02:02The White House called the Red House called the White House.
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