Washington does not want to lose its influence in the Gaza Strip. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, named this Friday the team that will form the commission that will be in charge of supervising the reconstruction work in Gaza.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), as it is officially called, . It is also made up of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; the White House special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff; Trump’s son-in-law, who has participated in all the highest-level international negotiations, Jared Kushner, and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also named the highest authority to oversee relations between Washington and Venezuela.
Also in the group are Marc Rowan, a financier, friend of Trump, who chairs the Apollo fund; World Bank President Ajay Banga and Robert Gabriel, a national security adviser. The United States led the negotiations for the peace agreement, which was reached at the end of last year in which Israel committed to stop the bombing and the Palestinians to free Israeli hostages taken in the 2023 attack.
“The committee will be led by Ali Sha’ath, a widely respected technocratic leader, who will oversee the restoration of essential public services, the reconstruction of civil institutions and the stabilization of daily life in Gaza, while laying the foundation for long-term self-sustaining governance,” the White House said in a statement.
The constitution of the commission for the reconstruction of Gaza occurs just after Washington’s special envoy for the Middle East assured this Thursday that . During this phase, the permanent cessation of hostilities that the Government of Israel and the Hamas militia agreed to is planned.
The peace plan provides for a 20-point road map “for lasting peace, stability, reconstruction and prosperity in the region,” recalled Witkoff, a friend of Trump from his time as a real estate developer in New York. To advance in the second phase of the agreement, the disarmament of Hamas and the total withdrawal of Israeli troops is foreseen, although Witkoff’s statement only mentions the duties that the agreement provides for Palestinian militiamen.
The statement by this inexperienced diplomat does not mention the obligation of the Israeli army to continue withdrawing until it disappears from Gaza, after having withdrawn its troops from 47% of the territory in the first phase, and does not mention a possible horizon that includes the creation of a Palestinian State, as reflected in Trump’s original plan.
“The Peace Board will play an essential role in delivering on the President’s 20-point plan, providing strategic oversight, mobilizing international resources, and ensuring accountability as Gaza moves from conflict to peace and development,” the White House has insisted.
The US Administration has explained that each member of the commission will oversee a defined portfolio that is critical to the stabilization and long-term success of Gaza. With activities including governance, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale financing and capital mobilization.
NCAG will be supported by Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum to oversee the day-to-day strategy. Former Bulgarian Defense Minister and former member of the European Parliament Nickolay Mladenov will serve as High Representative for Gaza. Previously, Mladenov was the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.
Finally, General Jasper Jeffers has been named commander of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), where he will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarization, and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials.
This committee is scheduled to govern Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority can take power, which could then lead to what the plan calls a “credible path to self-determination and the creation of a Palestinian state.”
