JakartaGlobe-Feb 20
President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members of the body have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package and that five countries have agreed to deploy troops to take part in an international stabilization force to the war-battered Palestinian territory. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania have pledged to send troops for the Gaza stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to train police for the efforts. Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a major population center where the US administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait are the countries that are making pledges, Trump said.
“Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” said Trump in thanking the donors. The dollars pledged, while significant, represent a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war. Trump also announced the United States was pledging $10 billion for the Board of Peace but didn’t specify what the money will be used for. Trump’s expanded vision for it has triggered fears that the US president is looking to create a rival to the United Nations. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters earlier this week that “at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations.” Read more at: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/four-countries-join-indonesia-in-promising-troops-for-trumps-gaza-peace-board#goog_rewarded
