Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the Central government to not accept the US-offered position on ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza.
In a statement backing the left parties, he stated that the ‘board of peace’ seeks to override the UN and existing international structures. He further stated that participating in such a board, which disregards Palestinian rights, would be a grave betrayal of the Palestinian cause. “India must stand in defence of the Global South against US imperial ambitions,” he said.
Earlier today, five left parties – Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (ML) Liberation, All India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party, issued a joint statement urging the government not to accept the position.
What is the ‘Board of Peace’?
The board was envisioned by the United States, which is overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan.
Trump is headed to Davos, Switzerland, where more details of the board are expected to emerge. Ironically, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday accepted Trump’s invite to join the board.
The charter of the board is not yet public but according to a draft version obtained by Associated Press, much of the power will likely be concentrated in the hands of the USA.
Trump has extended invitations to dozens of nations and hinted that the board will likely broker global conflicts, like a pseudo UN Security Council, reports said.
The scope of the board is seemingly broad and will go beyond Gaza, reports said. A draft charter for the board uses expansive language for its ambitions. Members who wish to secure permanent membership on the board will have to pay $ 1 billion in USD, the draft says. The expenses of the board will be funded by contributions from member states, which serve three-year terms. According to US officials, the board may undergo several changes and is under constant revision.
War on Gaza:
It has to be noted that Israel under the leadership of Netanyahu, has bombed Gaza killing over 80,000 people including about 20,000 children between October 2023 and October 2025. The war on Gaza has been dubbed by several human rights organisations and scholars as ‘genocide’.