World

Israel doesn't approve of US Gaza executive board

By AAP Newswire

Jan 18, 2026

Israel doesn't approve of US Gaza executive board — Trump favourites Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio and Jared Kushner have made the Gaza executive board. -AP

Prime ‍Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says 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.

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It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US 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 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump's special ⁠envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

It also names Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.

Other members of the executive board include Sigrid Kaag, the UN 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.