Jerusalem rejects uncoordinated Gaza governance plan, warning foreign-led schemes reward terror and undermine Israel’s security.
Israel’s government issued a rare and pointed objection to a White House announcement detailing leadership for overseeing Gaza’s next phase, warning the initiative was neither coordinated with Israel nor aligned with its security doctrine. The statement from the Prime Minister’s Office made clear that decisions shaping Gaza’s future cannot be imposed from Washington without Jerusalem’s consent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israel’s Foreign Ministry to immediately engage US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, signaling deep concern over what Israeli officials see as a premature and strategically flawed framework.
The White House’s newly announced Gaza executive committee notably excludes Israeli officials while including foreign power brokers, international financiers, and regional actors with mixed records on confronting Islamist terror. While an Israeli businessman was listed, Jerusalem emphasized that symbolic inclusion cannot replace sovereign coordination with the state that defeated Hamas militarily.
The committee is described by the White House as implementing a Trump-led “Board of Peace” vision under President Donald Trump, yet Israel stressed that peace cannot be engineered by distant committees detached from battlefield realities and Israeli sacrifice.
The proposed structure also introduces a Palestinian body to manage Gaza’s daily affairs, overseen by international figures including Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Tony Blair, and officials tied to global financial institutions. Israeli critics argue such arrangements risk recycling failed models that empowered terror proxies and ignored Israel’s security red lines.
Backing Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged preparations for renewed military action, warning that diplomatic experiments cannot substitute for decisive victory and full demilitarization of Gaza.
Israel maintains that any post-war framework must ensure Hamas’ total dismantlement, prevent rearmament, and eliminate foreign interference that legitimizes Palestinian rejectionism. For Jerusalem, Gaza’s future is not an international playground—it is a frontline reality where Israeli lives are on the line.
