Prime Minister Mark Carney has been invited by U.S. President Donald Trump to join the “Board of Peace,” overseeing the interim governance of the Gaza Strip, according to a senior Canadian official accompanying the prime minister on his international visit. Carney is set to accept the invitation.
A Palestinian technocratic entity, endorsed by both Israel and Hamas under a U.S. initiative, will be supervised by the international board during a transitional phase. The White House officially announced the board members, which include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, with Trump serving as the board’s chair, as detailed in a plan disclosed late last year.
Egypt is currently considering an invitation from Trump for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to join the board, stated Egypt’s foreign affairs minister to the press. Additionally, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a letter from Trump inviting him to participate, according to the Turkish presidency.
The board composition also features private equity executive and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan, and Robert Gabriel, a Trump adviser. Nickolay Mladenov, a former United Nations Middle East envoy, will act as the high representative for Gaza, the White House confirmed. However, the specific responsibilities of each member were not outlined in the White House statement.
Notably, Carney’s name was absent from the White House’s list of appointees. Criticism has arisen from rights experts and advocates who liken Trump’s oversight of a foreign territory’s governance through a board to a colonial structure. Blair’s involvement has also faced scrutiny due to his role in the Iraq war last year.
Maj.-Gen. Jasper Jeffers, a former U.S. special operations commander, has been designated as the commander of the International Stabilization Force, as announced by the White House. A UN Security Council resolution passed in mid-November authorized the establishment of the Board of Peace and collaborating countries to create the force in Gaza.