Overview
- President Donald Trump announced an executive committee to operationalize the Board of Peace, naming Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Tony Blair, Marc Rowan, Ajay Banga and Robert Gabriel.
- Former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov was appointed High Representative for Gaza to serve as the on-the-ground link to a 15-member Palestinian technical committee.
- Full membership of the planned 12-person council is expected to be unveiled next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos after invitations were sent and selections made by Trump.
- Trump voiced support for a technocratic Palestinian body meeting in Cairo under Ali Shaath, which the Board intends to work with during Gaza's transition.
- The administration is weighing a broader remit for the Board beyond Gaza, according to the Financial Times, as Western and Arab diplomats register skepticism about mandate expansion.