Tony Blair and Marco Rubio among names on Gaza 'Board of Peace'
US Secretary Marco Rubio and former UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair have been named as two of the founding members of Gaza's Board of Peace
campaign. The White House announced in astatement on Friday that Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner would both serve on the "founding executive board. As chairman of the board of Israel and Hamas, Trump will act as chairman of Israel's 20-point planto end the conflict between Israel and Gaza. It is expected that it will temporarily handle Gaza's administration and reconstruction.
Marc Rowan, the founder of a private equity company, World Bank chief Ajay Banga, and Robert Gabriel, a US national security advisor, are among the founding executive board members. According to the White House's statement, each member would have a portfolio
Most Prestigious Board Ever assembled at any time, anywhere. According to the White House, more members of the board will be announced in the coming weeks. Sir Tony was the British prime minister from 1997 to 2007, and the United Kingdom went into the Iraq War in 2003. Since leaving office, he served as Middle East envoy for the Quartet of international powers (the UNited States, EU, RUSsia, and the UNited Nations). He concentrated on bringing economic growth to Palestine and creating the conditions for the transition to a two-state solution in this role. Sir Tony had already been involved in high-level talks about Gaza's future with the US and other groups. In August, he attended a White House meeting with Trump to discuss territory plans, which Witkoff characterized ascritical to Gaza's stability and long-term success. On Thursday, Trump declared that the board had been established, naming it the
lift some eyebrows. However, Streeting also highlighted the former prime minister's role in brokering the 1998 Good Friday Deal to end Northern Ireland's Unrest.very comprehensive. Sir Tony's participation in such discussions, according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, would
Streeting told the BBC, "it will only be a good thing.If he can bring those important skills there, in both diplomacy and state craft,
It comes as the unveiling of a separate 15-member Palestinian technocratic commission, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), has been charged with the day-to-day administration of post-war Gaza. Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister of the PAlestinian Authority (PA), which oversees portions of the occupied West Bank that are not under Israeli influence, will chair the new commission. Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician and former UN Middle East envoy, will be the board's representative on the groUNd in Gaza working with the NCAG, according to the statement. According to Trump's statement, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) will be sent to Gaza to train and assist vetted Palestinian police forces, as well as establish a stable terror-free environment. According to the White House, separate Gaza executive board
was being established to assist governance and use some of the same names as the founding executive board as well as later appointees. The US peace initiative went into operation in October and has since entered its second phase, but there is still no certainty regarding Gaza's future. 1 million Palestinians who live there.
Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire in October, as well as a hostage-prisoner swap, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and an aid surge. Witkoff said earlier this week that phase two of Gaza will see the reconstruction and complete demilitarization of Gaza, as well as the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian groups. Hamas mUSt comply fully with its obligations, noting that the body of the last dead Israeli hostage will be recovered. A failure to do so would have repercussions.
However, the truce is fragile, with both sides accusing each other of repeated offences. According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, almost 450 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since it was launched, while the Israeli military says three of its troops were killed in attacks by Palestinian groups during the same time. According to the UNited Nations, human life in the territory remains fragile, and the urgent need for an UNrestricted supply of essential commodities is UNderscored. The war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and leaving 251 others dead and 251 wounded others hostage. According to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, more than 72,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then.
