Israel doesn’t approve of US Gaza executive board
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said this week’s announcement by the Trump administration on the composition of the Gaza board was not coordinated with Israel and was contrary to government policy.
It was stated that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The statement did not specify which part of the board contradicted Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesman declined to comment.
The board, announced by the White House on Friday, includes US 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.
There is also the name of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.
Other members of the board include Sigrid Kaag, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process; An Israeli Cypriot billionaire; and a minister from the United Arab Emirates who established relations with Israel in 2020.
Washington this week also announced the start of the second phase of the plan to end the war in Gaza that President Donald Trump announced in September. This includes the creation of an interim technocratic Palestinian administration in the region.
