Norway rejects Trump peace board while hosting Gaza aid talks

Friday 20 - 09:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Norway rejects Trump peace board while hosting Gaza aid talks

Norway has reaffirmed that it will not join U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, even as it prepares to host a key international donor meeting on Palestinian aid in the spring. Oslo’s position directly contradicts Trump’s recent claim that Norway had agreed to host an event for the new initiative, which is formally chaired by the U.S. president and initially focused on Gaza’s reconstruction.

At the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, Trump told participants that about 7 billion dollars had been pledged for rebuilding Gaza and said Norway would organize a gathering bringing the board together. The Norwegian foreign ministry moved quickly to draw a clear line between that body and the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee for Palestinian aid, or AHLC, which Norway will convene and which operates under established multilateral frameworks. “Norway has clearly communicated that we will not become a member of the Board of Peace, and this position remains firm,” foreign ministry spokesperson Ragnhild Simenstad Jorem was quoted as saying.

Norway has led the AHLC since its creation in the wake of the Oslo Accords of 1993–1995, coordinating international financial support to the Palestinian territories. The committee, where the United States and the European Union serve as vice-chairs, remains the main platform through which donors discuss both economic assistance and broader political issues tied to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Norwegian officials say they plan to use the upcoming AHLC session to address Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and to engage with Washington on its broader peace plan without endorsing the new board.

Oslo’s refusal to participate in the Board of Peace predates the Washington launch. In January, Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik told Norwegian daily Aftenposten that the country would not take part in the initiative in its current form, citing concerns that it could undermine the United Nations and existing international law. He stressed that Norway could not join any structure that calls into question the UN’s central role in conflict resolution, a view he said is shared by many other European states.

Documents describing the Board of Peace, seen by several media outlets, say the body would be chaired for life by Trump and initially focus on the Gaza conflict before potentially expanding to other global crises. The draft charter grants the chair sweeping powers, including veto authority over decisions, control of the agenda and finances, and effective control over membership and succession. Countries seeking permanent membership are expected to make substantial financial contributions, reportedly up to 1 billion dollars in some cases.

Norway is not alone in staying out of the new structure. Other key European partners, including Germany and France, have also declined to sign on, wary that the initiative could sideline existing multilateral institutions, particularly the UN. While more than 40 countries sent representatives to the board’s first meeting in Washington, many did so only as observers, and several governments, including Norway’s, have underscored that attendance does not automatically translate into membership. For Oslo, the priority remains working through established mechanisms such as the AHLC to support Palestinians and discuss political tracks for Gaza, while keeping a firm distance from any parallel framework that might erode international norms.