Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement Jan. 17 in response to the Trump administration’s newly announced framework for postwar governance in Gaza, objecting to the composition of the U.S.-led Board of Peace and its subordinate Gaza Executive Board.
The statement came hours after the White House announced appointments to the Board of Peace, which the administration said will oversee the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.
According to the White House, the board is intended to play a central role in implementing the plan’s 20-point framework by “providing strategic oversight, mobilizing international resources, and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development.”
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The concept of an international oversight body was introduced publicly in September 2025, when Trump and Netanyahu appeared together at a White House press conference announcing a U.S.-backed proposal to end the Gaza war. Trump’s plan, including the creation of the Board of Peace, was later endorsed by the United Nations Security Council through Resolution 2803.
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The administration has said the board will oversee Phase Two of the ceasefire plan, which shifts from the initial focus on hostage-prisoner exchanges and humanitarian aid to longer-term arrangements for governance, security, and reconstruction in Gaza. Those steps include establishing a Palestinian technocratic government, deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, and launching a large-scale reconstruction effort, according to the administration.
Israel’s objection focused specifically on the subordinate Gaza Executive Board created under the framework. In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the board’s makeup “was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to Israeli policy.”
Netanyahu directed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to raise Israel’s objections directly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who serves on the board’s executive body.
Israeli officials have long opposed the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar — both represented on the Gaza Executive Board — accusing them of supporting Hamas.
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