Is peace finally approaching in Gaza? A few days ago, the USA announced that Tony Blair, Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner will form the Gaza Executive Board. They complete a list that already included Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management; Roberto Gabriel, advisor to Trump; and Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank.
This would be the first step in the transition from the first to the second phase of the fragile truce brokered in Gaza. With "hidden" intentions from both extremes (Hamas and extreme Zionists) to sabotage the peace plan, the Executive Board will face the challenge of overseeing the new Gaza Government.
Each member of this Executive Board will assume specific portfolios, and they will attempt to achieve the strengthening of governance capacity, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, along with securing large-scale funding and capital mobilization.
Other key actors will be the High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, who was Bulgaria's Foreign Minister and the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. And Jasper Jeffers, commander of U.S. Army Special Operations, who will lead the International Stabilization Force (ISF), the UN contingent that must ensure the future security and demilitarization of Gaza.
Phase two of Trump's peace plan for Gaza involves the formation of a technocratic government in the Strip and the disarmament of Hamas. It remains to be seen to what degree Hamas militias and extremists disarm and demobilize. The success of this process will also depend on Israeli forces not carrying out new military actions that escalate tensions again.
The Executive Board will oversee the new Gazan Government, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which will be composed of 15 members and led by engineer Ali Shaaz.
The first phase of Trump's peace plan, initiated in October, involved the ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the entry of humanitarian aid. However, hundreds of Palestinians have died from Israeli attacks. If in the past Hamas and some Palestinian militias were not open to peace negotiations that accepted the loss of Palestinian territory, today the main obstacle seems to be the conservative Zionist forces that dream of total control over the territory in question.
The success of this second phase, which envisions the formation of a new government in the enclave composed of Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas, remains to be seen.
The Palestinian-Israeli war has never been closer to peace and a permanent two-state solution. Hopefully, they will achieve it.
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