DayofPal—The White House has announced the formation of a new body called the Gaza Peace Council, presenting it as the central authority for managing Gaza’s post-war future.
While Washington frames the move as a pathway toward stability and reconstruction, Palestinian analysts and political observers warn it may amount to a new form of international trusteeship that undermines Palestinian sovereignty.
The council is part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan and comes alongside the creation of a Palestinian National Committee tasked with administering daily affairs in the Strip.
Together, the two structures outline a new governance model for Gaza following Israel’s genocidal war.
A New Governing Architecture
According to the US announcement, the Gaza Peace Council will serve as the highest strategic authority overseeing a 20-point roadmap that includes ending the war, reconstruction, economic development, and the coordination of international funding.
President Trump will chair the council himself. Its membership includes influential American and Western political and financial figures, among them Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, seen as war criminal, as well as US officials, World Bank representatives, and business leaders.
The council’s responsibilities are divided across governance, reconstruction, financing, investment, and regional relations.
Operating beneath the council is an executive body described as its on-the-ground arm. This body includes international and regional representatives linked to the United Nations, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, alongside business figures, giving it a hybrid political and administrative role.
Former UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov has been appointed as High Representative for Gaza, a position intended to oversee governance, reconstruction, and civil-security coordination.
The title has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinians, many of whom compare it to colonial-era mandates.
Security and Disarmament
Central to the plan is the establishment of an international “Stability Force”, led by US General Jasper Jeffers. The force is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, protecting civilians, securing humanitarian corridors, and disarming Gaza while preventing any form of armed resistance.
It will operate under the Peace Council’s direction and rely on international funding.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian National Committee for Gaza will handle daily administration, public services, and institutional rebuilding.
Chaired by technocrat Ali Shaath, the committee is described as a temporary administrative body rather than a sovereign political authority.
Warnings of “Masked Occupation”
Taken together, critics say the plan reshapes Gaza’s governance through an internationally led authority, a limited Palestinian administration, and a security framework designed primarily to safeguard Israeli interests.
Political analyst Dr. Iyad Al-Qarra said the national committee could be constructive in principle if it accelerates relief and reconstruction, but warned of heavy US and Israeli influence over decision-making.
“The concern is an indirect occupation of Gaza through administrative bodies that appear civilian but function to protect Israel,” he said.
Researcher Saeed Ziyad was more direct, calling the council “an American mandate over Gaza with a colonial face,” while writer Yasser Al-Zaatra described it as “the administration of a new colony.”
“This is disarmament without settlements, reconstruction without guarantees, and peace without sovereignty,” Al-Zaatra wrote.
Other analysts echoed similar concerns. Researcher Dr. Osama Al-Ashqar labeled the framework a “Trusteeship Council,” arguing its primary mission is the disarmament of Palestinians without addressing the siege or political rights.
Political analyst Mahjoob Al-Zou’ari said the plan sidelines Palestinian rights, ignores UN resolutions, and entrenches Israeli dominance under the banner of stability.
Writer Ahmad Al-Haila summarized the widespread unease by questioning the proliferation of governing bodies imposed on Gaza’s small territory.
“All these councils and forces are being created to manage a population drowning in hunger and cold,” he wrote. “The question remains: is this being done for Gaza—or for Israel?”
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