Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing back publicly against President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled Gaza governance initiative, exposing fresh tensions between two longtime allies as the Trump administration moves forward with what it calls the next phase of its Middle East peace strategy.
According to statements from Netanyahu’s office, Israel was caught off guard by the announcement of President Trump’s newly formed Gaza “Board of Peace,” a governing body intended to oversee Gaza as part of Phase Two of Trump’s broader 20-point Gaza Peace Plan announced last September. Netanyahu’s camp insists the plan was rolled out without Israeli coordination and directly contradicts Israeli policy at a time when security concerns remain high.
As previously reported by The Gateway Pundit, President Trump announced that the “Board of Peace” would be chaired and led by himself, signaling direct White House involvement in Gaza’s future. The board was presented as a central mechanism for stabilizing Gaza, rebuilding infrastructure, and laying the groundwork for long-term peace following years of conflict and Hamas control.
The Trump administration revealed a high-profile lineup for the board’s founding Executive Committee. Members include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, and Trump adviser Robert Gabriel.
