Israel Pushes Back on Trump Administration’s Gaza Executive Board as Ceasefire Enters Phase Two

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Israel’s government has issued an unusually blunt public objection to the Trump administration’s announcement of a U.S.-led executive body intended to oversee the next phase of Gaza’s postwar transition, exposing rare friction between Jerusalem and Washington as the ceasefire moves into its most contentious stage.

In a statement released Saturday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the composition of the newly announced Gaza Executive Board “was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy.” Netanyahu directed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to raise Israel’s concerns directly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The White House unveiled the Gaza Executive Board on Friday as part of Phase Two of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. The board is designed to oversee reconstruction, demilitarization, and governance alongside a Palestinian technocratic body known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which met for the first time this week in Cairo.

While the executive board includes an Israeli businessman, billionaire Yakir Gabay, it does not include any Israeli government official. Its international membership features Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.

Regional figures include Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, and UAE Cabinet Minister Reem Al-Hashimy.

Israel’s objections center on the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar, both of which have hosted Hamas political leaders and served as ceasefire mediators. Senior Israeli officials have repeatedly accused both countries of helping sustain Hamas’s political power. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key Netanyahu ally, wrote that “the countries that kept Hamas alive cannot be the ones that replace it.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir went further, urging Netanyahu to prepare the military to resume combat operations.

The White House says the Gaza Executive Board operates under a broader framework known as the “Board of Peace,” a Trump-chaired international body envisioned to provide strategic oversight, mobilize funding, and ensure accountability as Gaza transitions from war to reconstruction. Trump announced the formation of the Board of Peace on Truth Social, calling it “the greatest and most prestigious council ever assembled.”

According to draft charter language first reported by Bloomberg, countries seeking a permanent role on the Board of Peace may be required to contribute up to $1 billion, fueling speculation that Trump views the body as a potential alternative to traditional United Nations-led mechanisms. The charter outlines a mandate extending beyond Gaza to other conflict zones, a prospect that could unsettle powers such as China and Russia, both of which hold veto authority on the U.N. Security Council.

The U.N. Security Council in November endorsed Trump’s Gaza plan and supported the creation of the Board of Peace as a transitional international authority to coordinate reconstruction funding and governance.

The Gaza ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10, followed Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 hostages. Phase One focused on hostage releases, humanitarian aid, and limited Israeli withdrawals. Phase Two calls for full demilitarization of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, and large-scale reconstruction.

Tensions remain high as Hamas has yet to return the body of the final Israeli hostage, Ran Gvili, a failure Israeli officials say violates the terms of the ceasefire. Netanyahu’s government has maintained that Phase Two should not proceed until all Phase One obligations are fulfilled.

Despite Israel’s objections, the Trump administration has signaled it will continue rolling out additional appointments to both the Gaza Executive Board and the Board of Peace in the coming weeks, even as Jerusalem presses Washington to revise the committee’s makeup.

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