Vatican diplomat Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the world’s smallest country would not participate in the Peace Council set up by US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.
The cardinal added that the UN should be in charge of handling crises. Leo, the first pope from the US and a critic of some of Trump’s policies, was invited to join the council in January.
Under Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, which achieved a fragile ceasefire in October, the council is to run an interim administration in Gaza. The US president later said the council, which he will chair, would also work more broadly to resolve conflicts around the world. The first meeting of the Peace Council will be held on the 19th of February in Washington, and will discuss the reconstruction of Gaza.
Italy and the European Union have said they plan to attend the meeting as observers, as neither Rome nor the EU has joined the council. Parolin said the Holy See will not join the council because of its specific nature, which is clearly different from other countries. He stressed that one reason for concern is that at the international level it would be above the UN, which is supposed to manage such crises, and
the Vatican insists that they fall under the UN’s responsibility.
Many legal experts have said that Trump’s leadership of the council, which would decide on the internal affairs of another territory, resembles a colonial system. The council, which was created in January, has also been criticized for not including the Palestinians. Other countries have reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation, and experts worry that the council could threaten the very existence of the UN. Some of Washington’s allies in the Middle East have taken seats on the council, but Western allies have so far abstained.
The ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated, with hundreds of Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reportedly killed since early October. Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed more than 72,000 people and caused a humanitarian crisis. Many experts and a UN commission of inquiry have called Israel’s actions genocide. Israel, meanwhile, claims it acted in self-defense.
Pope Leo has repeatedly criticized the conditions in Gaza. The head of the Catholic Church rarely joins international councils, but the Vatican has a large diplomatic corps and the country has a permanent observer seat at the UN.
Read also: Europe wary of Gaza Peace Board; not everyone ready to participate
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