Germany stalls, Italy hedges, Spain retreats as Trump-led Gaza plan sidelines failed UN structures.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday he would consider joining Donald Trump’s Board of Peace—but only if it is narrowly focused on Gaza, underscoring Europe’s growing discomfort with decisive, results-first diplomacy.
Speaking in Rome alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Merz said he personally told Trump he would participate “if it were a body that supports the peace process in Gaza,” while insisting Germany cannot accept the board’s current governance structure for constitutional reasons. The subtext was unmistakable: Berlin wants the benefits of American leadership without surrendering control to it.
Meloni echoed that caution, noting Italy has asked Washington whether the board’s terms can be revised to fit constitutional constraints. Still, she warned against reflexive rejection. “Excluding ourselves a priori is wrong,” she said, adding that Italy aims to play a leading role in stabilizing the Middle East—language that acknowledges where real leverage now lies.
Spain, by contrast, opted out entirely. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Madrid would not participate, citing loyalty to multilateralism and the United Nations—the very system whose failures in Gaza have repeatedly emboldened terror and obstructed Israel’s security. Spain also complained that the Palestinian Authority was not included, a stance critics say prioritizes optics over outcomes.
Trump formally inaugurated the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum, calling it “the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled.” He later rescinded Canada’s invitation, signaling he will shape membership by seriousness and results, not symbolism.
Momentum, however, is building outside Western Europe. More than a dozen states have already agreed to join, including Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Crucially, Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Israel’s participation—anchoring the initiative in hard security realities rather than UN talking points.
The board’s charter suggests Trump is intentionally challenging UN primacy after decades of moral equivalence that rewarded Hamas aggression and constrained Israel’s right to self-defense. Even the EU tacitly recognizes this. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe could work with the board if it is limited to Gaza and aligned with a UN resolution—an implicit admission that enforcement, not endless process, is now the priority.
In plain terms, Europe is hesitating while the ground shifts beneath it. Trump’s Board of Peace advances an Israel-first security logic: demilitarize Gaza, rebuild under strict oversight, and deny terror any pathway back to power. Those unwilling to move beyond failed multilateral rituals risk watching history pass them by.
