“Peace Council” – Apparently no money in the Gaza fund

Gaza aid

Trump’s “Peace Council” fund apparently out of money

Trump’s “Peace Council” should provide reconstruction aid in Gaza. But so far it is questionable where the appropriate money for this lies.

There is apparently no money in the official Gaza fund of US President Donald Trump’s “Peace Council”. So far, no money from donors has been received into the World Bank’s official fund, reports the “Financial Times” (FT) and refers to four people who are involved in the matter. “Zero dollars were deposited,” one of them said.

A spokesman for the Peace Council emphasized that the funds were received in an account at JPMorgan, not in the World Bank Fund for Gaza Reconstruction. There are several options for depositing, and no one has chosen the World Bank fund.

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A World Bank fund would have a reporting requirement to donors, while the JPMorgan account has no transparency obligations. The “Peace Council” spokesman told the “FT” that the relevant financial figures will be reported to its own board at an appropriate time.

Member states of the Peace Council had already announced seven billion dollars, and Trump had promised another ten billion in US support. Most recently, the State Department planned to reallocate $1.2 billion in aid to projects related to the panel’s agenda.

A senior congressional official told the FT: “None of this money (has gone to the body). None of this money is managed by the ‘Peace Council’.” According to him, there is no intention at all for the “Peace Council” to manage the funds itself.

Officials have assured Congress that the council would not be allowed to use the funds until the financial controls and other systems necessary to receive U.S. funds are in place, the congressional staffer said.

In addition, there are doubts about the legal status of the “Peace Council”. The Trump administration is said to have been asked to disclose more information about the council, its activities and status. It is questionable whether the committee is even allowed to receive US aid.