U.S. president Donald Trump on Friday named Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former British prime minister Tony Blair as founding members of a new Gaza “board of peace,” the White House said.
Trump also appointed his special envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and World Bank president Ajay Banga to the seven-member founding executive board. Trump will chair the body, with additional members to be announced in the coming weeks.
Blair’s appointment is controversial in the Middle East due to his role in the 2003 Iraq war. Trump said last year he wanted to ensure Blair was an “acceptable choice.”
The board is a central element of phase two of a U.S.-backed plan to end the Gaza war, announced on Thursday.
Its creation follows the establishment of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee to oversee post-war governance in Gaza, led by Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath.
Trump also named U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers to lead an International Stabilization Force in Gaza.
The plan, launched in October, ended fighting and secured the release of hostages held by Hamas, but its second phase faces allegations of aid shortages and ongoing violence.
