The White House on Friday unveiled some members of a so-called “Board of Peace” that is to supervise the temporary governance of the Gaza Strip and the fragile cease-fire there after two years of Israeli war.
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 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.
