MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. Palestine opposes Israeli participation in the Board of Peace, Palestinian Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Observer to international organizations in Vienna Salah Abdel Shafi said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.

"From our point of view, he [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] is a war criminal and should stand trial for the crimes committed, rather than be a member of the Board of Peace," the diplomat said.

The ambassador also stressed that the humanitarian needs of the Gaza Strip were total and urgent. "After the war of destruction that the Gaza Strip has undergone, virtually nothing remains there. Israel has destroyed infrastructure, dismantled the healthcare system, the education sector and schools. Today, the Gaza Strip needs absolutely everything," he said.

According to him, funds that Russia is ready to allocate to the Board of Peace could be used both to rebuild key infrastructure and to address urgent humanitarian tasks, including support for the local population. "Russia’s readiness to provide up to $1 billion in assistance to the Gaza Strip represents a qualitative shift to a new level of support. This initiative fully corresponds to Russia’s traditional position in support of the Palestinian people, and we highly appreciate this noble step," Abdel Shafi said.

On January 22, representatives of 19 countries signed the charter of the council on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Board of Peace was created under an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas to govern Gaza, but it is also expected to address conflict prevention and settlement in other regions.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had received an invitation to join the Board of Peace. The president instructed the Foreign Ministry to study the proposal and consult with partners. Putin said Russia was ready to allocate $1 billion from assets frozen in the United States to the Board of Peace. On February 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Al Arabiya that Russia had sent a note to the United States agreeing to use $1 billion in frozen funds for Gaza’s reconstruction, but no response had followed.