Washington [US], January 17: The White House announced on January 16 that, in order to realize the vision of the Gaza Peace Council, under the chairmanship of US President Donald Trump, a 'Founding Executive Board' has been established.
The "Founding Executive Board" for the Gaza Strip includes leaders with experience in diplomacy, development, infrastructure, and economic strategy, according to an announcement posted on the White House website.
According to the announcement, the appointed members include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner ( President Trump 's son-in-law ), former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, CEO Marc Rowan of the US asset management company Apollo Global Management, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Robert Gabriel (Trump's Deputy National Security Advisor).
Each founding member of the Executive Board will oversee a specific area of importance to Gaza's long-term stability and success, including governance capacity building, regional relations, reconstruction, attracting investment, large-scale financing, and fundraising, according to a White House announcement.
According to the announcement, in order to establish security, maintain peace, and create a sustainable, terrorism-free environment in Gaza, Major General Jasper Jeffers has been appointed Commander of the International Stabilization Force (ISF). Accordingly, Jeffers will direct security operations, support comprehensive demilitarization, and facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials.
On January 15, President Trump announced the formation of the "Gaza Peace Council," a key element in the second phase of the US-backed plan to end the conflict in Gaza.
The council's formation followed the announcement of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing the day-to-day operations of Gaza, which has been devastated by the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The committee held its first meeting on January 16 in Cairo, Egypt. Committee leader Ali Shaath, an engineer and former Palestinian Authority official from Gaza, pledged to quickly begin work to improve living conditions. He estimated the reconstruction and recovery process would take approximately three years and planned to focus first on urgent needs, including housing.
"The Palestinian people have been waiting for this committee, its establishment, and its rescue work," Shaath said after the meeting, in an interview with the Egyptian news agency Al-Qahera.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
