Netanyahu Pushes Back on President Trump’s Inclusion of Turkey, Qatar in Postwar Gaza Framework
President Donald Trump has invited the leaders of Egypt and Turkey to join the founding executive body of a new international “Board of Peace” for Gaza, prompting an unusually blunt objection from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in related governance structures.
According to officials in Cairo, Ankara, and Buenos Aires, Trump has asked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Argentine President Javier Milei to serve as founding members of the board, which is designed to focus on high-level diplomacy, international investment, and political oversight tied to Gaza’s postwar future, Daily News Egypt reports.
Netanyahu responded sharply after the White House disclosed the membership of a separate body operating under the Board of Peace, the Gaza Executive Board, saying its composition was neither coordinated with Israel nor consistent with Israeli policy. In a statement from his office on Saturday, the prime minister said the board’s makeup “contradicts Israeli policy” and instructed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to raise the issue directly with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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The Board of Peace is structured with two distinct tiers. The founding executive board, chaired by Trump, is tasked with strategic direction and diplomatic engagement. A second entity, the Gaza Executive Board, is responsible for supervising on-the-ground activity and guiding the work of a newly created Palestinian administrative body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. That committee is described as technocratic and non-political and is led by Dr. Ali Shaath, a civil engineer who previously served in ministerial roles within the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli officials objected specifically to the Gaza Executive Board’s inclusion of senior figures from Turkey and Qatar. According to the released roster, its members include Qatari official Ali Al-Thawadi, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, and representatives from the United Arab Emirates. Israeli-Cypriot businessman Yakir Gabay was also appointed to the Gaza board.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed that Cairo has received Trump’s invitation to the founding board and said the matter is under review. Speaking in Cairo, he said progress on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire would be difficult without direct involvement from the US president.
The Turkish presidency said Trump formally invited Erdoğan by letter, describing the council as responsible for security oversight and reconstruction. Milei confirmed his invitation on X, writing that Argentina was honored to participate in what he called a shared responsibility to advance peace.
The White House said the Board of Peace is intended to implement a 20-point roadmap aligned with UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
