US names Rubio, Blair and Kushner to Gaza ‘Board of Peace’

WASHINGTON – The White House on Jan 16 announced names of the so-called Board of Peace that will, under US President Donald Trump’s plan, supervise the temporary governance of Gaza, which continues to see deadly violence despite a fragile ceasefire that went into effect in October.

The names included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House said. Mr Trump is the chair of the board, according to his plan revealed late in 2025.

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off in October on Mr Trump’s plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic body will be overseen by an international Board of Peace that is meant to supervise Gaza’s governance for a transitional period.

Many rights experts and advocates have previously said that Mr Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s governance resembled a colonial structure, while Mr Blair’s involvement was criticised in 2025 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 did not include any Palestinians. The White House said more members will be announced over the coming weeks.

The board will also include private equity executive and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank president Ajay Banga and Mr Robert Gabriel, a Trump adviser, the White House said, adding that Mr Nickolay Mladenov, the former UN Middle East envoy, will have the role of high representative for Gaza.

Major-General Jasper Jeffers, a former US special operations commander, was appointed commander of the International Stabilisation Force, the White House said. A UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorised the Board of Peace and countries working with it to establish that force in Gaza.

The White House also named an 11-member “Gaza Executive Board” that will include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Ms Sigrid Kaag; the United Arab Emirates’ Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy; and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, along with some members of the executive board.

This additional board will support Mr Mladenov’s office and the Palestinian technocratic body, whose details were announced this week, the White House said.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of ceasefire violations in Gaza, where more than 450 Palestinians, including over 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed during the truce.

Israel’s assault on Gaza since late 2023 has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza’s entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say it amounts to genocide.

Israel has said it took action in self-defence after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in their October 2023 attack. REUTERS