TEL AVIV, Jan 17 (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that the Trump administration’s announcement this week on the composition of the Gaza Executive Council was not coordinated with Israel and violated government policy.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is said to be raising the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The statement did not specify which components of the board conflict with Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesman declined to comment.
The committee, 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 committee include Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations 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 also announced this week the launch of the second phase of a plan to end the war in Gaza announced by President Donald Trump in September. This includes establishing a transitional technocratic Palestinian government in the enclave.
The first members of the so-called “Peace Council”, chaired by Trump and tasked with overseeing Gaza’s interim governance, have also been appointed. Members include Rubio, billionaire developer Steve Witkopf and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell. Editing by Barbara Lewis and Mark Porter)