The White House has announced the first members of its Gaza 'Board of Peace', and the list of names will do little to dispel the criticism from some quarters that the US president's plan resembles, at its heart, a colonial solution imposed over the heads of the Palestinians.
There are still several unknowns - namely who else might be added, and the exact structure of what is currently a rather complicated layout.
So far, no Palestinian names are included on the two separate senior boards that have been officially unveiled. One is a 'founding Executive Board', with a high-level focus on investment and diplomacy. The other, called the 'Gaza Executive Board', is responsible for overseeing all on-the-ground work of yet another administrative group, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).
That committee is made up of supposedly technocratic, apolitical Palestinians, led by Dr Ali Shaath, a civil engineer by training who's held ministerial positions in the Palestinian Authority.
But of the seven members of the founding Executive Board, six are Americans - including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other members of Trump's inner circle like his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, is an exception as an Indian-born US citizen, while Sir Tony Blair's inclusion raises concerns given his history with the Iraq war.
The Gaza Executive Board includes names of senior political figures and diplomats from Turkey, Qatar, and the UAE, led by Nickolay Mladenov, who has been given the title of High Representative for Gaza. The only Israeli member is Yakir Gabay, a businessman.
Despite significant international support for the peace plan, it faces monumental challenges, including the reconstruction of Gaza, the demilitarisation of Hamas, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis exacerbated by winter conditions. The involvement of Major General Jasper Jeffers as the Commander of the International Stabilisation Force adds another layer of complexity, aimed at ensuring a lasting peace in an increasingly hostile environment.
There are still several unknowns - namely who else might be added, and the exact structure of what is currently a rather complicated layout.
So far, no Palestinian names are included on the two separate senior boards that have been officially unveiled. One is a 'founding Executive Board', with a high-level focus on investment and diplomacy. The other, called the 'Gaza Executive Board', is responsible for overseeing all on-the-ground work of yet another administrative group, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).
That committee is made up of supposedly technocratic, apolitical Palestinians, led by Dr Ali Shaath, a civil engineer by training who's held ministerial positions in the Palestinian Authority.
But of the seven members of the founding Executive Board, six are Americans - including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other members of Trump's inner circle like his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, is an exception as an Indian-born US citizen, while Sir Tony Blair's inclusion raises concerns given his history with the Iraq war.
The Gaza Executive Board includes names of senior political figures and diplomats from Turkey, Qatar, and the UAE, led by Nickolay Mladenov, who has been given the title of High Representative for Gaza. The only Israeli member is Yakir Gabay, a businessman.
Despite significant international support for the peace plan, it faces monumental challenges, including the reconstruction of Gaza, the demilitarisation of Hamas, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis exacerbated by winter conditions. The involvement of Major General Jasper Jeffers as the Commander of the International Stabilisation Force adds another layer of complexity, aimed at ensuring a lasting peace in an increasingly hostile environment.
