US names Rubio, Tony Blair, Kushner to Gaza board under Trump’s plan

WASHINGTON:  The White House on Friday announced some members of a so-called “Board of Peace” that is to supervise the temporary governance of Gaza, which has been under a fragile ceasefire since October.

The names include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump is the chair of the board, according to a plan his White House unveiled in October.

Israel and Hamas signed off on Trump’s plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic body will be overseen by the international board, which will supervise Gaza’s governance for a transitional period.

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Many rights experts and advocates have said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s governance resembled a colonial structure, while Blair’s involvement was criticized last year due to his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.

The White House did not detail the responsibilities of each member of the “founding Executive board.” The names do not include any Palestinians. The White House said more members will be announced over the coming weeks.

The board will also include private equity executive and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Robert Gabriel, a Trump adviser, the White House said, adding that Nickolay Mladenov, a former U.N. Middle East envoy, will be the high representative for Gaza.

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Army Major General Jasper Jeffers, a U.S. special operations commander, was appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force, the White House said. A U.N. Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorized the board and countries working with it to establish that force in Gaza.

The White House also named an 11-member “Gaza Executive Board” that will include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Sigrid Kaag, the United Arab Emirates minister for international cooperation, Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, along with some members of the executive board.

This additional board will support Mladenov’s office and the Palestinian technocratic body, whose details were announced this week, the White House said.

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Israel and Hamas have accused each other of ceasefire violations in Gaza, where more than 450 Palestinians, including over 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed during the truce.

Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza’s entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say this amounts to genocide.