بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Trump’s ‘Peace Council’ Reflects the Fierce Struggle between the US and Europe over the Issue of Palestine
US President Donald Trump announced the creation of a ‘Peace Council’ at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on 22 January. “Congratulations, President Trump. The charter has officially come into force and the ‘Peace Council’ is now an officially established international organisation,” said White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt following the signing of the ‘Peace Council’ charter by Donald Trump.
Donald Trump later, in his usual manner, made a number of bold statements: “The ‘Peace Council’ will effectively oversee the UN’s activities and ensure it functions properly,” or “The UN should be strengthened so that it can solve global issues more effectively.”
If one examines the reality of the ‘Peace Council’ more closely, it becomes clear that this alliance, announced by Donald Trump, is not an official international body like the UN, nor does it form part of the existing system of international institutions. It is more akin to a club of like-minded individuals. Trump created this alliance to attract funding and, possibly, peacekeeping resources from subordinate states, in order to carry out his projects in the Gaza Strip.
This is a temporary format that does not have the status of a universal international organisation with a fixed constitution and recognition under international law.
As for the proposal by the President of Kazakhstan, Tokayev, and four other countries to send a military contingent to the Gaza Strip, this is to be done within the framework of the International Stabilisation Force under a UN mandate. The International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in the Gaza Strip was officially established pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution No. 2803, adopted on 17 November 2025.
The ISF will operate under the supervision of the ‘Peace Council’, established to provide interim administration of Gaza and coordinate reconstruction. Duration: The current mandate of the ISF and the Peace Council runs until 31 December 2027.
The organisation has no authority to enact international laws. All its activities revolve around decisions taken by the UN. The ‘Peace Council’ has no influence whatsoever on the activities of the UN, NATO, the European Union, the IMF or other international organisations.
This raises the question: why did Trump set up the ‘Peace Council’? Surely he could resolve the Gaza issue and the Palestinian problem at the UN?
The countries that have joined the Peace Council are either subordinate states or revolve around US interests. Not a single independent country has chosen to join this organisation.
European countries such as Italy and France have declined to participate. Giorgia Meloni turned down Trump’s invitation to join the ‘Peace Council’, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders have also declined. Why? Because these are independent countries, and they have no intention of bowing to US interests.
The US uses the UN to put pressure on anyone who opposes US interests. This is what UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on the BBC: “The US believes that its power is more important than international law.”
António Guterres has openly stated that the UN does not obey US orders, but acts in accordance with the UN Charter, even if this causes dissatisfaction in Washington.
Specifically, the issue of the conflict in Gaza. Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, stated: “The US decision to impose sanctions on her demonstrates Washington’s ‘guilt’ and its desire to ‘punish those who speak for the voiceless’,” reports The Guardian.
“When the powerful punish those who speak on behalf of the defenceless, it is not a sign of strength, but a sign of guilt,” Albanese wrote on social media after the US State Department announced sanctions against her.
Albanese – an independent expert appointed to investigate human rights violations in the Palestinian territories – has previously described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide on numerous occasions, a claim that Israel and the US categorically reject.
UN officials have expressed concern over the precedent of pressure being exerted on special rapporteurs. The President of the UN Human Rights Council, Jürg Lauber, called on Washington to cease intimidating UN representatives: “All states must cooperate with the Council’s mandate holders and refrain from any acts of intimidation or persecution.”
Volker Türk, Head of the UN Human Rights Office, also called for an end to “attacks and threats” against UN experts and staff of the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose judges have also recently been subject to US sanctions.
There is clear open confrontation within the UN between European powers and US policy, particularly on the issue of Palestine. Even a cursory look at this issue suggests that it is primarily linked to the problem of the Gaza Strip.
The struggle between the EU – represented by France and the UK—and the US over spheres of influence in the region and the right to resolve the Palestinian issue prompted the US to set up a separate working group, independent of UN and EU involvement.
Numerous protest marches against the genocide of Gaza’s Muslims took place across Europe. European countries recognised Palestine’s independence in May 2024: Norway, Ireland and Spain. In September 2025, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Belgium, Malta and Luxembourg announced their recognition of the State of Palestine. This prompted the US to step up its efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue.
The balance has tipped in favour of supporting the ‘two states for two peoples’ principle. The Jewish formation has expressed strong opposition to these actions, viewing them as an encouragement of terrorism. The US, as the guardian of the Jewish formation, naturally reacted to these events and decided to support its own creation. The World Council is one of the instruments that the US will control single-handedly, without the EU or the UN, so that once again there will be no one to interfere with its plans.
Jewish formation is a US project which, for 80 years, has failed to achieve any success. The Muslims of the region are opposed to this Jewish formation. The constant wars, revolutions and resistance to this day only prove that Muslims are against the occupation of Palestine.
The region’s rulers are agents of the colonisers; they are afraid to openly acknowledge their collaboration with this formation. That is why the US has devised numerous schemes to implement its plans, including legalising the occupation of Palestine through the Abraham Accords and the Peace Council.
These crimes of the disbelieving colonisers on Muslim lands will continue until Muslims take their destiny into their own hands. Allah, the Almighty, said:
[إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ] “Allah would never change a people’s state until they change their own state” [13:11].
For many decades, Muslims around the world have placed their trust in corrupt rulers and followed criminal gangs, which ultimately betrayed the people. The recent events in Syria are a case in point.
It is time to make the right choice and follow the sincere sons of the Islamic Ummah who have launched the project to revive the righteous state of Khilafah (Caliphate) according to the method of the Prophethood. Allah, the Almighty, said:
[يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِلّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُم لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ وَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ]
“O believers! Respond to Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. And know that Allah stands between a person and their heart, and that to Him you will all be gathered” [8:24].
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Eldar Khamzin
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir