Overview
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Nickolay Mladenov as the designated director-general for the planned Board of Peace, and a U.S. official confirmed the choice.
- Mladenov met Netanyahu in Jerusalem and then held talks in Ramallah with senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh on steps to move into the plan’s next phase.
- Trump is expected to unveil the board’s membership as early as next week, with invitations reported to have gone to the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
- The body is slated to be chaired by Trump and to oversee a Palestinian technocratic authority, Gaza’s reconstruction, Hamas disarmament, deployment of an international security force and further Israeli troop pullbacks.
- Officials are eyeing a first gathering during the World Economic Forum in Davos this month, while unresolved issues and ongoing ceasefire violations keep the transition fragile.