Israel, Jan 18 : Israel’s government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has formally objected to the United States’ selection of candidates for the Gaza ‘Board of Peace,’ asserting that the appointments were made without Israeli coordination and contradict the country’s policy.
Netanyahu has instructed Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar to convey Israel’s concerns directly to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “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,” the Prime Minister’s office said in an official statement on X.
The White House had recently unveiled both an “Executive Board” and a subordinate “Gaza Executive Board” as part of its broader Gaza ceasefire and governance plan. Israel has specifically objected to the Gaza Executive Board, which includes high-profile figures such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Qatari diplomat Ali Al Thawadi.
The main Executive Board, also announced by the White House, will oversee phase two of the US 20-Point Peace Plan aimed at ending the Gaza conflict. Its members include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Tony Blair, Ajay Banga, Marc Rowan, Robert Gabriel, and Jared Kushner.
According to the White House, the Executive Board is tasked with managing portfolios critical to Gaza’s stabilisation and long-term recovery, covering areas such as governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment promotion, and capital mobilisation.
The announcement follows the recent launch of the second phase of the US-brokered plan, spearheaded by Steve Witkoff, to help end Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza