Ireland must reject calls to join Trump’s “Board of Peace”, says opposition

Members of the opposition have called on the government to confirm they will not be taking part in Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”

Trump’s project, which is seen as his personal answer to the United Nations Security Council and where he has total say and control of proceedings, has seen nations such as Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Israel, Turkey, Qatar, and Hungary join.

China and Russia have also been invited to join, as has the European Union, while Trump rescinded Canada’s invitation.

Labour TD and foreign affairs spokesperson Duncan Smith said “earlier this week, we in Labour warned that Ireland should be extremely cautious about any involvement in Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace. As details of this initiative have now emerged, that caution must turn into outright refusal.”

“The inclusion of figures such as Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu makes clear that this is not a genuine or credible peace initiative. Ireland must now emphatically decline any invitation to participate,” he said.

“This proposal does not appear to be neutral, balanced or rooted in international law. Instead, it represents a deliberate attempt to bypass the United Nations and weaken the global institutions that already exist to support diplomacy, conflict resolution and humanitarian protection,” the Dublin Fingal East TD said.

“The UN system, for all its flaws, remains the only legitimate forum with the mandate and experience to broker peace, protect civilians and uphold international norms. Any effort to sideline it should set off alarm bells in every responsible government.”

“We are not alone in taking this position. Our colleagues in France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia have shown leadership by making it clear that they will not be drawn. We should stand with countries that believe peace cannot be achieved through ad hoc bodies dominated by powerful personalities, but through patient diplomacy grounded in international law and respect for human rights.”

“The government must be clear and decisive. Ministers must now publicly and unequivocally reject this invitation outright. They must make it clear that Ireland will always stand on the side of real peace, real diplomacy and real international cooperation, not political stunts.”

Tánaiste Simon Harris has insisted that Ireland would not be joining, contradicting Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s claims that he was “seeking clarity” on the project.

Social Democrats Senator Patricia Stephenson said it was “difficult to comprehend” why the government hasn’t explicitly ruled out joining the project.

The Soc Dems Senator said “Donald Trump’s Board of Peace was initially billed as a body that would oversee governance and reconstruction in Gaza – even though its proposed charter doesn’t even mention Gaza. Instead, it gives it a broad mandate to resolve global conflicts.”

“However, given the list of people who have signalled they will join – including Netanyahu, Putin and Lukashenko – it would be more accurate to rename this body ‘the Board of Autocrats and War Criminals’.”

“To highlight the sheer absurdity of this travesty, Netanyahu is unable to attend a signing ceremony for the Board of Peace because, as an indicted war criminal, he fears being arrested if he turns up in Davos,” she noted.

“Meanwhile, the Irish government is prevaricating over whether it intends to join the Board of Peace, with the Taoiseach saying he is examining President Trump’s invitation.”

“Other EU and European countries – including Britain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Italy and Slovenia – have had no such difficulty in declining. Our government needs to show similar backbone by refusing to join Trump’s joke of a peace initiative and instead focus on enacting the Occupied Territories Bill without further delay,” she said.