Washington * (Anadolu News)

17 Jan 202

The White House has unveiled key appointments for its proposed postwar administration of Gaza, marking a concrete step in President Trump’s peace plan. Dr. Ali Sha’ath, a former Palestinian Authority deputy minister, will lead the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), tasked with restoring services and stabilizing daily life.

A dual-board structure will guide the process. An international Executive Board, to be chaired by President Trump, includes figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The statement also announced an Executive Board to support governance and services, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner; former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair; United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy, veteran Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad; UAE-based Bulgarian diplomat and former UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov; Cypriot-Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay and Dutch politician Sigrid Kaag.

The Executive Board to guide the Board of Peace, will be chaired by Trump. Members include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank Group head Ajay Banga and US political adviser Robert Gabriel.

Mladenov will serve as High Representative for Gaza, linking the Board of Peace with the NCAG, while Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers will command the International Stabilization Force (ISF).

The US also appointed Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum as senior advisers to the Board of Peace, to oversee “day-to-day strategy and operations.”

More Executive Board and Gaza Executive Board members will be announced in the coming weeks, the statement added.

It came after Witkoff announced Wednesday the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, saying the focus will shift to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction.

The road ahead for this plan is steeply uphill. It is paved with the profound distrust of a people who have seen truces broken and bear the immeasurable grief of more than 71,000 loved ones lost. This shadow of loss will touch every effort to rebuild, making the task as much about healing as construction. As more names are added to the administrative boards in the coming weeks, the true test will begin: can this structure take root in the harsh reality of Gaza's pain, or will it falter under the weight of it?