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Tensions have escalated in Israel following President Trump’s proposal for a new governance structure in Gaza, which has drawn criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan involves the formation of a “Board of Peace” that includes representatives from Turkey and Qatar, a decision that Netanyahu argues is at odds with Israeli policy.
On Saturday, Netanyahu’s office released a statement expressing the government’s disapproval of the board’s composition. According to Ynet, the Prime Minister has directed his senior diplomat to communicate these concerns to the Trump administration. The statement emphasized that the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in the Gaza Executive Board was decided without Israel’s input and contradicts its policies.
The core of the controversy lies in the participation of Turkey and Qatar, nations that Israel claims support Hamas. This inclusion has raised alarms in the Israeli government, prompting direct diplomatic engagement to address the issue.
Despite the official stance, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz suggested that Netanyahu’s objection might be more of a symbolic gesture than a substantive protest. This insinuates a complex layer of political maneuvering behind the scenes as the discussion unfolds over the governance of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli daily Haaretz, meanwhile, reported that the prime minister’s protest was largely performative.
The paper, citing a source familiar with the discussions, said the board’s composition had been coordinated in advance and that Netanyahu’s public posturing was intended solely “for appearances” aimed at defusing domestic political pressure.
A State Department spokesperson referred The Post to Trump’s Truth Social message from earlier this week touting the Board of Peace while insisting that the body will “secure a COMPREHENSIVE Demilitarization Agreement with Hamas” with the backing of Turkey and Qatar.
Netanyahu came under attack from Jewish state political foes who were outraged to learn that the two countries would have a role on Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure in Netanyahu’s coalition, even argued that countries that had propped up the terror group had no place in the reconstruction of Gaza.
“The states that breathed life into Hamas cannot be the ones that replace it,” Smotrich said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, another key ally, rejected the entire framework, saying Gaza did not need an international body at all and called for a return to war.
“The Gaza Strip does not need any ‘executive board’ to oversee its ‘rehabilitation’ — it needs to be cleared of Hamas terrorists, who must be eliminated, alongside the encouragement of large-scale voluntary emigration — in accordance with President Trump’s original plan,” Ben Gvir said, calling on Netanyahu to order the military to prepare to “return to war with enormous force.”
Opposition figures also blasted the move, framing it as a failure of Israeli leadership rather than US coordination.
Former Israeli military chief and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said Netanyahu “has lost control” in light of the fact that “other countries are managing Gaza over Israel’s head, with Turkey and Qatar as part of the governing body.”
The Post has sought comment from the White House, Netanyahu’s office and the Turkish and Qatari governments.
The Board of Peace is the top decision-making body in the US-led Gaza plan. It will be responsible for setting overall policy, approving major reconstruction and security moves, and coordinating international political and financial backing.
Turkey’s seat on the board is held by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, a close confidant of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while Qatar is represented by Ali Al-Thawadi, a top diplomatic adviser to the country’s leadership.
