Gaza post-war executive board members?
The Telegraph newspaper, announcing the news, emphasized that such a situation depends on Hamas agreeing to disarm.
According to Western officials, Kushner and Whittaker will join Blair on the executive board of the Gaza management, which is chaired by Trump himself.
The formula, designed for the future of Gaza and now supported by the United Nations, was presented by Kushner and Blair in the summer. Kushner and Blair have had a close relationship since the former British prime minister helped him achieve the “Abraham Accords” (an agreement to normalize Arab-Israeli relations) and establish contacts between Tel Aviv and the UAE and other countries during the first Trump administration.
The board, chaired by Trump, oversees a committee of 12 to 15 Palestinian technocrats who have no ties to Hamas or Fatah.
The peace board will also include Arab and European leaders, such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Disagreement over Hamas disarmament persists
Although Hamas has said it may hand over power to a Palestinian government in Gaza, it has refused to disarm, a key condition that the Israeli regime has said is the only way to exit the Strip.
A Western official told Axios that “almost all parts of the agreement are well advanced and the goal is to announce it before the New Year holidays.”
The official also noted that “the big question is whether Hamas will agree to disarm and allow the new government to take power and govern the Gaza Strip. They should not be in the new government, directly or indirectly. The moment of truth will come in the next few weeks.”
Kushner, who holds no official position in the current US administration, has made a fortune from business interests in the Middle East since his time as an adviser to the first Trump administration.
The 44-year-old son-in-law of the US president is currently leading efforts to plan what are called “alternative safe communities.” The plan involves building small, temporary but functional villages in what is now the Green Zone, which encompasses eastern and southern Gaza and is controlled by the Israeli military in an effort to encourage Palestinians to leave the Hamas-controlled west.
The Telegraph adds: Kushner’s plans for post-war Gaza appear to focus more on redeveloping the Green Zone, where virtually no Gazans live.
“Right now, all the focus is on the Green Zone. No one knows how Hamas is going to be pushed out of the western part of the territory,” a European official involved in the process told the Telegraph.
Although Israeli officials have agreed to and supported the 20-point Gaza peace plan, they secretly believe that they must resume the war in 2026 and finally defeat Hamas.
However, observers believe that doing so, even if approved by the United States, could lead to the killing of many more Palestinian civilians and risk the collapse of Arab and Muslim support for the process.
According to available reports, since the ceasefire was announced on October 11 of this year (October 19), nearly 360 Gazans have lost their lives due to Israeli attacks, and several Israeli army forces have also been killed.