JAKARTA - The joining of Israel to the Peace Council (BoP) initiated by US President Donald Trump was considered a joke by Hamas militant group officials.
Israel has joined US President Donald Trump's "Peace to Prosperity" initiative, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, during a visit to Washington and a meeting with President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio.
Images released earlier on Wednesday after the Netanyahu-Rubio meeting showed them holding documents with Netanyahu's signature on Israel's accession to the council.
Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he "signed Israel's accession as a member of the 'Peace Council'," Al Arabiya reported from Reuters (12/2).
Meanwhile, a senior Hama official said Israel's accession to the Peace Council was a joke, referring to the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on November 21, 2024, regarding war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip since the latest conflict broke out in October 2023.
Met with U.S. Secretary of State @marcorubio at Blair House in Washington.
Ahead of my meeting at the White House with President Trump, I signed Israel’s accession as a member of the “Board of Peace.”
We will continue strengthening the unbreakable alliance between Israel and… pic.twitter.com/CJ4Lw92WdX
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) February 11, 2026
Answering questions on Al Jazeera Live's "Evening" program, Hamdan described the decision as "one of the jokes of this era," stressing that Netanyahu was sought by the ICC on charges of genocide, and his acceptance to this council raises questions about the meaning of peace in the region, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorized the council and the countries cooperating with it to form an international stabilization force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a plan by President Trump approved by Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Under the plan, the council was intended to oversee the interim government of Gaza. Trump then said the council, with himself as chairman, would be expanded to deal with global conflicts.
The council will hold its first meeting on February 19 in Washington to discuss Gaza reconstruction.
Many human rights experts say Trump's move to oversee the council to oversee foreign affairs resembles a colonial structure.
Israel's presence on the council is expected to draw further criticism as the council does not include Palestinian representation.
Countries have reacted cautiously to Trump's invitation to join the council, launched in late January. Many experts fear the council could weaken the United Nations.
Although some of Washington's allies in the Middle East have joined, many of its traditional Western allies have stayed away.
The ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated, with at least 580 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed since it began in October, according to Palestinian and Israeli calculations.
The next phase of Trump's Gaza plan calls for resolving complex issues such as Hamas' disarmament, which the group has long rejected, Israel's further withdrawal from Gaza, and the deployment of international peacekeepers.
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