It appears the only qualification for joining the Gaza “peace board” is to have a strong track record of endorsing israel’s project of genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing, and criminalising those who oppose it
By Rabia Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) – The White House on Friday announced the members of the Gaza Strip’s “Board of Peace,” as well as the head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), as part of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s genocidal war on the territory.
As expected, nominations heavily favour those supportive of Israel’s actions and demands, with no real representation for the victims of the genocide. Experts fear that the makeup of the panel will simply reinforce the occupation of Palestinians.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) will be led by Dr. Ali Sha’ath, a former Palestinian deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority, the White House said in a statement.
The White House described Sha’ath as “a widely respected technocratic leader who will oversee the restoration of public services, rebuild civil institutions, and stabilize daily life in Gaza, while laying the foundation for long-term governance.”
The statement also announced an Executive Board to support governance and services, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner; former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair; United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy, veteran Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad; UAE-based Bulgarian diplomat and former UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov; Cypriot-Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay and Dutch politician Sigrid Kaag.
The Executive Board to guide the Board of Peace, will be chaired by Trump. Members include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank Group head Ajay Banga and US political adviser Robert Gabriel.
Mladenov will serve as High Representative for Gaza, linking the Board of Peace with the NCAG, while Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers will command the International Stabilization Force (ISF).
The US also appointed Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum as senior advisers to the Board of Peace, to oversee “day-to-day strategy and operations.”
More Executive Board and Gaza Executive Board members will be announced in the coming weeks, the statement added.
Former Middle East peace envoy Ashish Prashar has already called for a rejection of the so-called peace plan which has already fundamentally failed with israel failing to deliver of 90% of its deliverables- particularly humanitarian aid- while growing its control of Gaza and West Bank and continuing its daily killings.
Friday’s White House announcement came after Witkoff announced Wednesday the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, saying the focus will shift to demilitarisation, technocratic governance and reconstruction.
The ceasefire took effect in October. Its first phase called for a halt to the war, allowed a partial Israeli withdrawal, facilitated the exchange of Israeli hostages for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israel and permitted a limited humanitarian aid into Gaza, although the deal required full access.
Palestinians have said Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, which followed the war that killed more than 71,000 victims — mostly women and children — and injured over 171,000 since October 2023.
Since the truce, nearly 450 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,200 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
There were five key actionable items in phase one of the plan. It seems only one was delivered upon:
- Halt on attacks: Attacks on Gaza by Occupation Forces decreased, but never ended. In fact, over 400 Gazan’s have been killed since the cease fire and over 1 200 injured
- Israeli Captives returned: All living captives released. One body remains under the rubble. Despite the agreed challenges of working the rubble, Israel is using the remaining body to block humanitarian aid entering Gaza
- Israeli withdrawal: Israel continues to extend beyond the “yellow line”, pushing Palestinians into extreme confined areas.
- Humanitarian Aid: Entry has been extreme limited, with quantities delivered far below the agreed amounts. In addition, Israel has banned 37 aid organisations.
- Rafah crossing opened: The crossing remains tightly shut blocking aid entry, travel and medical evacuations.
The second phase calls for a full Israeli withdrawal, disarmament of Hamas, deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) and the establishment of a Palestinian “technocratic” committee to temporarily govern Gaza.