Far-right members of Israel's governing coalition have rejected a US-backed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, criticising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to annex the Palestinian territory and establish new Israeli settlements. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described Netanyahu's 'unwillingness to take responsibility for Gaza' as 'the original sin', urging him to instead establish a military government and encourage immigration and settlement.
The White House recently announced the formation of a 'Gaza executive board' under a broader 'board of peace' chaired by Donald Trump as part of his 20-point plan to end the war. The executive board, which has an advisory role, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali al-Thawadi, alongside other regional and international officials. Smotrich objected to their involvement, stating on X: 'The countries that inspired Hamas cannot be the ones that replace it.'
Netanyahu convened a meeting with coalition partners on Sunday in an apparent attempt to calm tensions. The prime minister's central challenge is containing his far-right allies, whose continued participation in government is key to his political survival. Netanyahu himself objected to the plan on Saturday, citing that some appointments were 'not coordinated with Israel and were contrary to its policy', and instructed his foreign minister to contact US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In addition to naming Turkey's foreign minister to the executive board, Trump has invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to join the overarching board of peace. The plan also includes a Palestinian committee of technocrats tasked with governing Gaza, which held its first meeting in Cairo on Saturday.
A draft charter sent to about 60 countries by the US administration requires members to contribute $1bn in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years. The US said this week that the Gaza truce plan has entered a second phase, shifting from implementing a ceasefire to the disarmament of Hamas, with a focus on transitional governance, demilitarisation, and reconstruction.
