American president Donald Trump names himself ‘Board of Peace’ chair under October plan, and White House to announce more board members in coming weeks.
The White House on Friday announced some members of a so-called “Board of Peace” that is to supervise the temporary governance of Gaza, which has been under a fragile ceasefire since October.
The names include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump is the chair of the board, according to a plan his White House unveiled in October.
Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off on Trump’s plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic body will be overseen by the international board, which will supervise Gaza’s governance for a transitional period.
Many rights experts and advocates have said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s governance resembled a colonial structure, while Blair’s involvement was criticized last year due to his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.
The White House did not detail the responsibilities of each member of the “founding Executive board.” The names do not include any Palestinians. The White House said more members will be announced over the coming weeks.
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