 "Trump appoints Rubio, Kushner & 'contentious' Blair to Gaza ‘board of peace’")
United States President Donald Trump on Friday appointed the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair to the newly created Gaza “board of peace”. In his latest announcement, Trump made it clear that the body will be responsible for steering the next phase of reconstruction and governance in the war-ravaged coastal enclave.
Meanwhile, the White House noted that the seven-strong “founding executive board” will also include Trump’s special envoy, the property developer Steve Witkoff; the World Bank president, Ajay Banga; and the president’s son-in-law and long-time adviser Jared Kushner. Trump himself will serve as the chair of the board, and further appointments are expected to be made in the coming weeks.
“Each executive board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilisation and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation,” a White House statement said on Friday.
“The United States remains fully committed to supporting this transitional framework, working in close partnership with Israel, key Arab nations, and the international community," it added. However, Blair’s inclusion on the board is likely to turn out to be contentious.
The former British prime minister was a divisive figure in the Middle East for his role in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Soon after leaving the office in 2007, Blair became the special representative of the Quartet, a group composed of the US, EU, Russia and the UN seeking peace between Israel and the Palestinians. However, he has been seen as inclined towards Israelis and stepped down from the body in 2015.
Trump sets up his Gaza team
During the announcement, Trump acknowledged that Blair remains a decisive figure in the Middle East. Trump conceded last October: “I’ve always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he’s an acceptable choice to everybody.”
Meanwhile, the president also appointed Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum as senior advisers to the board to oversee “day-to-day strategy and operations”. Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician and former UN envoy to the Middle East, will serve as the High Representative for Gaza.
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View AllIt is pertinent to note that the list of the board members was made public a day after Trump announced the formation of the “board of peace” as part of phase two of the US-brokered plan to end the conflict in Gaza. Characteristically effusive, the president described it as the “Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place”.
The creation of the board came right after the formation of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with running day-to-day affairs in post-war Gaza. The body will be headed by Ali Sha’ath, a Gaza native and former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority.
“Dr Sha’ath brings deep experience in public administration, economic development, and international engagement, and is widely respected for his pragmatic, technocratic leadership and understanding of Gaza’s institutional realities," the White House said in its statement.
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