Prime Minister Mark Carney has been requested by U.S. President Donald Trump to join the “Board of Peace,” which will oversee the interim administration of the Gaza Strip, as disclosed by a senior Canadian official accompanying the prime minister on his international journey. Carney is set to accept the invitation, the official affirmed.
According to a U.S. initiative endorsed by Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian technocratic entity will be managed by an international board during a transitional phase.
On Friday, the White House unveiled the members of the board, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. Trump is designated as the board’s chair, as outlined in the plan unveiled late last year.
Egypt is currently assessing an invitation from Trump for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to also participate in the board, as revealed by Egypt’s foreign affairs minister to reporters on Saturday.
Simultaneously, Trump has extended an invitation to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to join the board, as stated by the Turkish presidency on Saturday.
The board composition further comprises private equity executive and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan, and Robert Gabriel, a Trump adviser, as per the White House. Nickolay Mladenov, a former United Nations Middle East envoy, will serve as the high representative for Gaza.
Notably, the White House’s announcement did not delineate the specific responsibilities of each member. Carney’s name was notably absent from the White House release.
Numerous human rights experts and advocates have previously expressed concerns that Trump leading a board to oversee the governance of a foreign region resembled a colonial framework. Additionally, Blair’s involvement drew criticism last year due to his role in the Iraq war.
Maj.-Gen. Jasper Jeffers, a former U.S. special operations commander, has been appointed as the commander of the International Stabilization Force, according to the White House. A UN Security Council resolution passed in mid-November sanctioned the Board of Peace and collaborating nations to establish the force in Gaza.
