Israel’s Security Cabinet decided Sunday night not to open the Rafah Crossing at this time, despite a request from the United States.
At the same time, a senior Israeli official said that including Turkish and Qatari representatives on the Gaza Executive Board, the council that would oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, was not part of the original understanding between Israel and the U.S., and it remains unclear what powers this new body will have and what its exact role will be.
According to the senior official, the “inclusion of Turkey and Qatar was on Netanyahu’s head. This is Kushner's and Witkoff's revenge on him, because of his insistence not to open the crossing before the return of hostage Ran Gvili.”
The cabinet’s decision comes against the backdrop of remarks made Monday evening by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset plenum, in which he said: “We are on the verge of Phase II, which means one simple thing: Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized, either the easy way or the hard way.” He added that “Turkish and Qatari soldiers will not be in Gaza. “We have a certain argument with our friends in the US on the makeup of the council of advisers that will accompany the processes in Gaza.”
In response, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said: “President Trump has announced, over your head, the composition of the ‘executive committee’ of Gaza. Hamas’s hosts in Istanbul and Doha, Hamas’s ideological partners, have been invited to run Gaza.” He added: “President Trump has also announced the composition of the committee of technocrats that is supposed to run daily life in Gaza. I know you’re trying to gloss over this, but the dominant factor in the committee is the Palestinian Authority.”
On Wednesday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the move to Phase II of President Donald Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip. The American announcement made no reference to opening the Rafah Crossing in both directions — a component that had been one of Israel’s last levers for securing the return of the last hostage in Gaza — and Israeli sources say preparations are underway for a military operation to dismantle Hamas if it becomes clear the terror group will not do so itself.
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Senior Israeli official: 'This is Kushner's and Witkoff's revenge on him'
(Photo: Paulina Pettimer)
Two days later, Trump announced the establishment of the “Gaza Executive Board” and revealed its members. In addition to Witkoff and Kushner, the council will include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari official Ali al-Thawadi.
Also on the board are: Hassan Rashad, head of Egyptian intelligence; Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Mark Rowan, the Jewish‑American billionaire; Reem al‑Hashimi, a minister from the United Arab Emirates; Nikolay Mladenov, former Bulgarian Foreign and Defense Minister and former U.N. special envoy to the Middle East peace process; Yakir Gabay, an Israeli‑Cypriot businessman specializing in real estate, technology and international investments; and Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. representative.
This body will operate below the “Board of Peace” — and above the technocratic Palestinian government that is supposed to manage affairs on the ground in place of Hamas. The Board of Peace is headed by Trump himself, with Witkoff, Kushner, Blair and Rowan also serving, along with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel.
The technocratic government that will manage the Gaza Strip, called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, will include 15 Palestinians, led by Ali Shaath, who has held official roles in the Palestinian Authority under Yasser Arafat. In the past he served as a head of an authority and as a deputy minister in government offices, as well as head of the Industrial Zones Authority in the PA. He has clear institutional ties to the Authority but has not been involved in policymaking.