The members of the Board of Peace (BoP) that will administer the Gaza Strip will be announced at the start of next year, U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday, after earlier reports indicated he had hoped for an announcement before Christmas.
The Times of Israel cited U.S. officials saying that the transition to the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, including the implementation of the BoP and the International Stabilization Force (ISF), was expected before the Christmas holiday.
Despite the postponement, Trump reiterated that “the kings, the presidents, prime ministers – they all want to be on the Board of Peace.”
“It’ll be one of the most legendary boards ever. Everybody wants to be on it,” he said. According to a UN Security Council resolution, the Board of Peace will include senior representatives of the countries supporting the ceasefire, and be headed by Trump himself.
However, no senior leaders have come forward to confirm they plan on serving on the board so far.
An administrative committee serving under the BoP will handle civilian affairs in the enclave and supervise the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which will provide security.
The discussions with the prospective countries contributing troops to the ISF are reportedly among the main reasons for the delay, as no country has so far declared it will join the force. The only country claiming it is willing to send troops is Turkey, which Israel has rejected.
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One key reason why countries have been reluctant to commit is that Hamas continues to refuse to lay down its weapons, causing concern that the ISF could be involved in violent clashes with the terror group.
In addition, Israel insists that Hamas hand over the body of hostage Ran Gvili, and either agree to disarm or that the ISF be tasked with demilitarizing the Gaza Strip before a transition to phase two of the ceasefire.
Speaking with Israel’s Channel 12 News at the end of a visit to the country, the American Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, emphasized that Trump has been clear that “All the hostages must be released. We do not distinguish between a living hostage and a fallen one… we are going to get him out of there.”
Waltz also spoke on the efforts to disarm Hamas, noting that “the issue is implementation.”
He explained that the language of the UN resolution granting a mandate to the ISF specifically gave it the authorization to disarm Hamas, specifically including the phrase, “by all necessary means.”
“It is clear that this is subject to discussions with each contributing nation; rules of engagement are still being formulated. But I’ll put it this way: President Trump has said repeatedly – Hamas will be disarmed. One way or another. The easy way or the hard way.”
“He is determined – and we are determined – to prevent what I call ‘the definition of insanity.’ Meaning, repeating what was done in the past: allowing Hamas to survive in some form, the international community pouring billions into reconstruction, Hamas attacking Israel again, Israel responding – rightly – and then we end up in the same chaos,” Waltz emphasized.
“I’m not saying this is the most perfect plan ever – many details are being negotiated right now – but I believe it has a far greater chance of success compared to where we were a few months ago, when the chance of success was zero.”
Asked about Israel’s refusal to allow Turkish or Qatari troops to participate, Waltz said that “these discussions are ongoing; I literally just spoke about it with Prime Minister Netanyahu and with President Herzog. These will be high-level conversations with President Trump. I don’t want to get ahead of the process, but these are intensive talks happening right now.”
This article originally appeared on ALL ISRAEL NEWS, and is reposted with permission.
