Overview
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the Bulgarian diplomat as the board’s designated director-general after a meeting in Jerusalem, with his office releasing photos and video.
- A senior U.S. official confirmed Mladenov is the administration’s choice to run on-the-ground operations, though the White House has not issued an official statement.
- President Donald Trump is reported to be preparing to name board members next week, with Axios citing expected participants including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye.
- The board is slated to steer the second phase of the U.S. 20-point plan by overseeing a technocratic Palestinian government, Hamas disarmament, deployment of an international security force, further Israeli pullbacks and Gaza reconstruction.
- Mladenov is a former Bulgarian defense and foreign minister who later served as the UN envoy to Iraq and as UN Middle East peace coordinator from 2015 to 2020.