The President of the United States (USA), Donald Trump, confirmed this Tuesday (20) that he invited Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to form what is being called the Peace Council, a collegiate of international leaders, chaired by the American head of state himself, which will be created to supervise the work of a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). This committee was announced by the White House last week and will be responsible for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave that was practically destroyed by Israeli military forces over the last few years, with more than 68,000 deaths.
“I invited him. I like him. Lula will have a big role in the Gaza peace council,” said Trump when questioned by a journalist during a press conference in which he took stock of the first year of his second term. The Trumpist mandate runs until January 2029.
Plan for Palestine
The council created by Trump is part of the second phase of peace plan for Gaza signed in October last year, under the mediation of the North American, which made possible a supposed ceasefire in Israel’s attacks on Palestinian territory, despite the continuity of bombings and shootings, according to recent reports from members of United Nations agencies working in the region.
So far, Palácio do Planalto has not signaled whether or not Lula will accept the invitation. Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) had already confirmed receipt of the invitation last weekend, via the Brazilian Embassy in Washington.
Other international leaders also received the same invitation, such as the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, who posted Trump’s letter on his social networks and said he was honored by the opportunity. The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, also received the same invitation and thanked him in a post on social network. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also reportedly invited, as were leaders from Europe and Egypt.
In a statement released last Friday (16), the Trump administration announced the formation of the group that will govern Gaza, which includes the US envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, among others. According to the statement, it will be up to this executive committee to reflect the guidelines defined by the Peace Council. In addition to this, another executive committee is also being formed, including technocratic authorities from Türkiye and Qatar. No Palestinian leader, to date, has been appointed to form these governance structures for Gaza.
In the invitation sent to Santiago Peña and Javier Milei, of the same content, there is no information about the composition of this council nor the operating rules. According to foreign media, including Israeli newspapers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office criticized the White House announcement, saying the executive committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to the country’s policy.”
A draft of a supposed statute for this council, released by US broadcaster Bloomberg, states that the US government would be asking for US$1 billion for the invited country to guarantee a permanent seat on the board, which amounts to more than R$5 billion at the current rate. The charge was denied by the White House, the agency reported. Reuters.
Reviews
Amid a new cycle of increased tensions between Trump and European leaders, due to the US government’s attempt to annex Greenland, President Lula criticized the North American leader. While speaking at a housing delivery ceremony for Minha Casa, Minha Vida, in Rio Grande do Sul, this Tuesday, Lula drew attention to the fact that Trump is trying to “rule the world” via posts on social media.
“Have you noticed that President Trump wants to rule the world through Twitter?” he said. “It’s fantastic. Every day he says something and every day the world still says what he said”, added the president. When criticizing the excessive use of devices, Lula stated that he does not allow people with cell phones to enter his office.
