Israel’s prime minister said the newly announced Gaza Executive Board under President Trump’s peace initiative was not coordinated with Israel and contradicts its stated policy for the postwar territory.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that the composition of the Gaza Executive Board announced by the United States runs counter to Israeli policy and was not coordinated with his government.
In a statement released by the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu said, “The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy,” according to a statement issued Saturday.
The statement said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar was instructed to raise Israel’s objections directly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was named Friday as a founding member of the Gaza Executive Board.
The White House on Friday unveiled three committees that will operate under the Board of Peace, an initiative led and chaired by President Donald Trump to implement his 20-point plan for Gaza following the two-year war. One of those bodies, the Gaza Executive Board, is intended to oversee stabilization, demilitarization, and reconstruction efforts in the territory.
According to U.S. officials, the Gaza Executive Board includes U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari official Ali Al-Thawadi, and Egyptian General Intelligence Service Director Maj. Gen. Hassan Rashad.
The Executive Board is tasked with assisting the high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgaria-born former United Nations envoy based in the United Arab Emirates. It will also work alongside the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, another body under the Board of Peace framework. The National Committee consists of 15 Palestinian technocrats and is led by former Palestinian Authority Deputy Minister of Transportation Ali Sha’ath.
President Trump addressed the initiative in a Truth Social post Friday, saying, “With the support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, we will secure a COMPREHENSIVE Demilitarization Agreement with Hamas, including the surrender of ALL weapons, and the dismantling of EVERY tunnel.”
Trump’s comments followed Witkoff’s announcement Wednesday that Phase 2 of the administration’s Gaza peace plan had formally begun.
“Phase 2 establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” Witkoff said in remarks shared on X.
Israeli officials did not elaborate on specific objections to the Executive Board’s membership but emphasized that any postwar governance framework for Gaza must align with Israel’s security and policy positions.
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