International Newspapers: "Peace Council" a step towards creating a parallel structure to the UN

International newspapers and websites highlighted the formation of what was called the "Peace Council" to oversee the administration of the Gaza Strip. A report in the French newspaper Le Monde indicated that the council was formed amidst criticism, three months after the ceasefire came into effect. According to Le Monde's report, Israel has succeeded since October in excluding all Palestinian representatives and foreign diplomats who paved the way for the Peace Council. The French newspaper pointed out that Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) still have much to negotiate in the coming months, such as the disarmament of the movement, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, in addition to the deployment of an international force to stabilize the Strip.

For its part, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted sources as saying that the Peace Council established by US President Donald Trump is not designed to operate in the Strip, but worldwide, and said that the Peace Council's charter shows that Trump has begun steps to create a rival structure to the United Nations. American officials promoting this idea - the newspaper says - believe that "the council will be an organization much like the United Nations, where selected countries sit and make decisions about the world." Sources quoted a Western diplomat as saying, "We are concerned about this step, which would create a parallel mechanism to the United Nations without the support of international law."

The White House had announced, last Friday evening, the formation of what was called the "Peace Council," along with the adoption of the composition of the "Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza," as part of the second phase of the comprehensive plan proposed by Trump to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

Some newspapers also touched on Iranian affairs, as an analysis in the British newspaper The Telegraph highlighted Iran's military power, which it believes forced the US President to reconsider striking Iran. The tone in Washington has changed significantly - the analysis adds - and "the US President's missiles were not launched, after municipal workers in Israel were reopening public shelters in anticipation of a US airstrike on Iran this week."

The analysis considered that the Iranian regime now appears stronger than ever since the protests began, noting that Tehran still possesses enough military capabilities to worry its adversaries in the region, according to The Telegraph. In the same context, the British newspaper Financial Times believed that isolation, intransigence, and severe economic hardship were factors that led to a wave of protests in Iran.