Making sense of Trump’s Board of Peace appointments, role in Gaza’s new phase – explainer

In addition to Mladenov, whose name was mentioned several days ago, the following men have been chosen for the Board of Peace: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner who played a key role in the Abraham Accords, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose name had been floated previously as a key official for post-war Gaza, American businessman Marc Rowan, President of the World Bank Ajay Banga and deputy US National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel.

CBC in Canada also says that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “has been asked by U.S. President Donald Trump to join the Board of Peace that will supervise the temporary governance of the Gaza Strip, a senior Canadian official told journalists travelling with the prime minister on his overseas trip.”

In addition, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egypt’s leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have been invited to join the Board, according to reports. If they joined, then the Board would have more international members. As it stands now, it is very American.

The Board’s job is to have key individuals who have “experience across diplomacy, development, infrastructure, and economic strategy,” the White House says. “Each Executive Board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization.”

To help the Board members with day-to-day operations and help them accomplish the mission, two Americans will play a key role. Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum have been tapped “as senior advisors to the Board of Peace, charged with leading day-to-day strategy and operations, and translating the Board’s mandate and diplomatic priorities into disciplined execution.”

Lightstone played a key role in the Abraham Accords and in the first Trump administration. Along with Kushner, he has returned to help manage this peace initiative. A private equity investor, Gruenbaum has played other key roles in the administration. In February 2025, the Government Services Administration noted that “Josh Gruenbaum has been appointed as Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, or FAS. With extensive experience at leading firms KKR & Co. and Moelis & Co., he has specialized in complex restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate turnarounds, and governance.”

To support of Mladenov’s Office of the High Representative for Gaza a Gaza Executive Board (GEB) is also being created. This second board “will help support effective governance and the delivery of best-in-class services that advance peace, stability, and prosperity for the people of Gaza.” This GEB entity includes Witkoff, Blair, Rowan, Mladenov, and Kushner, who are also on the Executive Board of the Board of Peace. This sounds confusing, but it may not be in practice.

Meanwhile, the GEB also has other international members. These include Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, Egyptian  General Hassan Rashad, who is in charge of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service (GIS), UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation in the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot businessman Yakir Gabay and Sigrid Kaag, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands. In addition, Blair, Rowa,n and Mladenov are on the GEB

The goal of all these GEB members will be to “help support effective governance and the delivery of best-in-class services that advance peace, stability, and prosperity for the people of Gaza,” the White House says.

The list of the NCAG members includes fifteen people. One of them is a woman. According to the Samer Sinijlawi the list is as follows, Ayed Abu Ramadan will be head of trade and economy in Gaza, Omar Shamali will focus on telecommunications, Abdul Karim Ashour will focus on agriculture, Aed Yaghi will hold the health portfolio, while Jaber Al-Daour of Palestine University will run education, and Bashir Al-Rais will deal with finance, Ali Barhoum will deal with water and municipal affairs, Hana Tarzi will head up a women’s affairs portfolio, and Arabi Abu Shaaban will focus on land issues while Mohammad Bseiso will head of the judiciary.  Palestinian Major General Mohammad Tawfiq Helles will lead the police, and Major General Mohammad Nasman will hold a security portfolio.

The White House says that “Dr. Sha’ath brings deep experience in public administration, economic development, and international engagement, and is widely respected for his pragmatic, technocratic leadership and understanding of Gaza’s institutional realities.” It’s unclear if he will remain in Cairo or be able to travel to Gaza.

A last piece of the puzzle in Gaza is the appointment of US Special Operations Command Central commander, Major General Jasper Jeffers, to head the International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza. Jeffers has previously worked on issues related to the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. “He will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarization, and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials,” the White House says.

The ISF is supposed to receive troops or personnel from various countries. It is not clear who will step up to provide the personnel. Meanwhile Palestinian police are supposed to be backed by Egypt and the EU. In addition, more than fifty countries and organizations are involved with the CMCC in Kiryat Gat, which facilitates humanitarian aid.

Keeping track of all this seems complex. Let’s quickly boil it down. The CMCC deals with aid entering Gaza and coordinates with the IDF, US Central Command, NGOs, and other stakeholders. The ISF is supposed to be able to enter Gaza with personnel from participating countries.

The Board of Peace is the umbrella group that works with advisors and also Mladenov’s Office of the High Representative and the Gaza Executive Board to implement the peace deal. Because it has key US officials and business people and has overlapping members, along with international members, it can work closely with key countries such as Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and the UAE. This is designed to bring together the investors and countries that will oversee reconstruction.

In Gaza, the Palestinian technocratic group NCAG is supposed to be able to function once Hamas is rolled back. This will be the most difficult task. Having a framework to at least begin this process is important. This should be thought of as multiple layers designed to make sure everything works by bringing together the largest number of key people involved with Gaza; and also experts who can mobilize the resources needed to rebuild the enclave.