Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 17, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 19, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleIsrael opposes the US's Gaza board composition, citing policy conflicts. The board includes Turkish and other international figures.
TEL AVIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday that this week's Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to government policy.
It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The statement did not specify what part of the board's composition contradicted Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment.
The board, unveiled by the White House on Friday, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.
Other members of the executive board include Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process; an Israeli‑Cypriot billionaire; and a minister from the United Arab Emirates, which established relations with Israel in 2020.
Washington this week also announced the start of the second phase of President Donald Trump's plan, announced in September, to end the war in Gaza. This includes creating a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.
The first members of the so-called Board of Peace - to be chaired by Trump and tasked with supervising Gaza's temporary governance - were also named. Members include Rubio, billionaire developer Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell. Editing by Barbara Lewis and Mark Potter)
An executive board is a group of individuals responsible for overseeing the management and operations of an organization, making strategic decisions, and ensuring that the organization adheres to its mission and goals.
A billionaire is an individual whose net worth is equal to or exceeds one billion units of currency, typically measured in U.S. dollars, and often involves significant investments and ownership of assets.
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