Israel objects to line-up of Trump panel for post-war Gaza

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel said on Saturday it objected to the line-up of a Gaza panel that will operate under United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP), which oversees post-war governance in the Palestinian territory.

The panel, known as the Gaza executive board, notably includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and a Qatari official and was announced by the White House on Friday.

The BoP began to take shape on Saturday as the leaders of Egypt, Turkey, Argentina and Canada were asked to join. 

Trump had already declared himself the chair of the body, as he promotes a controversial vision of economic development in the Palestinian territory, much of which was reduced to rubble during two years of relentless Israeli bombardment.

The US president also named to the BoP his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British prime minister Tony Blair, and senior negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff — most of whom are also on the Gaza executive board. 

On Saturday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the BoP, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy.”

“The Prime Minister has instructed the Foreign Affairs Minister to contact the US Secretary of State on this matter.”

The moves came after the Palestinian committee of technocrats tasked with governing Gaza under the oversight of the BoP began its first meeting in Cairo, attended by Kushner.

The White House said the BoP will take on issues such as “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding and capital mobilization.”

The other members of the board so far are World Bank President Ajay Banga, an Indian-born American businessman; billionaire US financier Marc Rowan; and Robert Gabriel, a loyal Trump aide who serves on the US National Security Council.

On Saturday, the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad criticized the composition of the BoP, saying it served Israel’s interests.

The board “came in accordance with Israeli criteria and to serve the interests of the occupation”, the group said in a statement.