WASHINGTON
\nThe White House has released the names of the members who will be part of the senior executive working with his new \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d for Gaza. With the US president as chair, the founding \u201cExecutive Board\u201d will oversee the work of a committee of technocrats tasked with the temporary governance of Gaza\u2013and its reconstruction.
\nEach member is expected to be in charge of a portfolio that will be \u201ccritical to Gaza\u2019s stabilisation\u201d, the White House has said. But it is not yet clear who will be responsible for which priorities.
\nThere will also be a separate \u201cGaza Executive Board\u201d\u2013responsible for overseeing all on-the-ground work of yet another administrative group, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).
\nMeanwhile, the Board of Peace is expected to sit above these two executive bodies and comprise a number of world leaders.No women and no Palestinians have been announced so far on the Executive Board, but the White House said additional members will be announced over the coming weeks.
\nFormer UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair had long been talked about as a potential member of Trump\u2019s \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d, with the US president confirming back in September that he had expressed an interest in joining the body.
\nThe former Labour Party leader was the UK prime minister from 1997 to 2007 and took the country into the Iraq War in 2003, a decision which means some may view his presence on the board as controversial.
\nAfter leaving office, he served as Middle East envoy for the Quartet of international powers\u2013the United Nations, European Union, US and Russia\u2013from 2007 to 2015. Sir Tony is the only founding member of the executive board who is not a US citizen. He previously described Trump\u2019s plans for Gaza as the \u201cbest chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering\u201d.
\nIn a statement, Sir Tony said he was \u201chonoured\u201d to be named on the executive board, and thanked president Trump for his leadership in establishing the group.
\ne will also serve on the Gaza Executive Board. Getty Images An image of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, speaking into a microphone while wearing a navy suit with a red tie.As US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio is central to the Trump administration\u2019s approach to foreign policy.
\nBefore Trump\u2019s return to office, Rubio had spoken out against a ceasefire in Gaza, saying that he wanted Israel \u201cto destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on\u201d. But he has since praised the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal signed in October as the \u201cbest\u201d and \u201conly\u201d plan.
\nAlso in October, Rubio criticised a move by the Israeli parliament towards annexation of the occupied West Bank. Reuters An image of the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, speaking in front of the American Flag visible to the left.
\nReuters US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, a real estate magnate and golf partner to Trump, will also serve on the Gaza Executive Board.
\nEPA An image of Jared Kushner dressed in a black suit with a white shirt staring off into the distance. EPA Jared Kushner, the US president\u2019s son-in-law, has also played a key role in the Trump administration\u2019s foreign policy negotiations.
\nAt a talk at Harvard University in 2024, Kushner said \u201cGaza\u2019s waterfront property could be very valuable… if people would focus on building up livelihoods.\u201d There is significant overlap between the two senior boards, with Kushner, Witkoff and Sir Tony appearing on both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON The White House has released the names of the members who will be part of the senior executive working with his new \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d for Gaza. With the US president as chair, the founding \u201cExecutive Board\u201d will oversee the work of a committee of technocrats tasked with the temporary governance of Gaza\u2013and its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-526591","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n