Israel warns foreign meddling rewards terror while Arab states empower Hamas and sideline Jewish sovereignty.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said Saturday night that the announced composition of the Gaza Peace Council was made without coordination with Israel and directly contradicts official Israeli policy.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to formally raise Israel’s objections with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, signaling serious concern over external actors shaping Gaza’s future.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of diplomatic failure, arguing that the absence of a firm Israeli-led framework allowed Turkey and Qatar—both long associated with backing Islamist forces—to gain influence over Gaza, even as Hamas retains tens of thousands of fighters.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the Peace Council on Friday, saying it would oversee Gaza’s interim administration. He said the body would be chaired by himself and include U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio, former British prime minister Tony Blair, businessman Mark Rowan, World Bank president Ajay Banga, and U.S. deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
Turkey later confirmed it received a formal invitation to join the council, intensifying Israeli fears that Gaza’s governance is being shaped by states that tolerate or legitimize Hamas, rather than dismantling it.
Israeli officials warn that empowering Arab and Islamist patrons under the banner of “peace” risks repeating past failures—rewarding terror, undermining Israeli deterrence, and erasing the sacrifices of IDF soldiers who fought to neutralize Hamas.
