Italy says it is unable to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Peace Board” because of a constitutional limitation, marking the latest setback for the controversial “international peace-building body.”
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the ANSA news agency on Saturday that conflicts between Italy’s constitution and the Peace Board’s statute were “legally insurmountable,” although Italy would always remain “open to discussing peace initiatives.”
Italy joins a number of European countries — including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom — that have declined to join the controversial board. The body received UN approval last year as a temporary governing authority for post-war Gaza, before later expanding its mandate into a broader statute that no longer explicitly referenced the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.
Italy’s decision comes despite the close relationship between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Peace Board Chair Donald Trump, amid growing concern that the global conflict-mediation body — launched in Davos, Switzerland, last month as Trump made an aggressive push on Greenland — is designed to sideline the United Nations.
Tajani pointed to Article 11 of Italy’s constitution, which prevents the country from joining organizations unless there are “conditions of equality with other states.” This condition would not be met under a charter that names Trump as chair with veto power and as the final authority on its interpretation.
However, speaking after what he described as a “very positive” meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Milan on Friday, Tajani said Italy would be “ready to do its part in Gaza by training police forces.”
Tajani’s remarks came as the board — which reportedly requires members to pay $1 billion for a permanent seat, prompting criticism that it would effectively be a “pay-to-play” version of the UN — prepares for its first meeting in Washington, D.C., on February 19.
The meeting is scheduled to take place one day after a planned meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Saturday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a key Trump ally, said he would travel to Washington for the board’s first meeting “within two weeks.”
Last month, Trump invited around 60 countries to join the board. At the time of reporting, its official website listed 26 member states, including Gaza mediators Qatar and Egypt.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres criticized Trump’s plans last month, stating:
“The fundamental responsibility for international peace and security lies with the United Nations, and with the Security Council.”
