Israel Claims U.S.-Backed Gaza Governance Structure Contradicts Israeli Policy

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that the Gaza Executive Board—led by the United States and composed of officials from Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt—runs contrary to Israeli policy. In a statement, the prime minister’s office said, “The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy.”

The office added that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has been instructed to discuss the matter with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—recently named as a founding member of the Executive Board. This follows the White House’s Friday announcement of three committees to oversee the activities of the Board of Peace, an initiative led by President Donald Trump to implement his 20-point peace plan for Gaza following the two-year war.

The Gaza Executive Board includes U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, and Egyptian General Intelligence Service Director Maj. Gen. Hassan Rashad. The board will assist the high representative for Gaza, United Arab Emirates-based Bulgarian politician Nickolay Mladenov, and the new National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a committee under the Board of Peace led by former Palestinian Authority Deputy Minister of Transportation Ali Sha’ath.

In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump wrote: “With the support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, we will secure a COMPREHENSIVE Demilitarization Agreement with Hamas, including the surrender of ALL weapons, and the dismantling of EVERY tunnel.” This comment came amid Witkoff’s announcement that Phase 2 of the Trump administration’s peace plan has commenced.

“Phase 2 establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” Witkoff stated.