Trump appoints Marco Rubio and Tony Blair to Gaza ‘peace council’

The American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio EPA/Shutterstock President Donald Trump appointed this Friday (16) the head of American diplomacy, Marco Rubio, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as founding members of the “peace council” in the Gaza Strip, the White House reported. The Republican also included his special envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and World Bank President Ajay Banga among the members of the seven-member “founding executive board.” The other members of the council are American billionaire businessman Marc Rowan and Robert Gabriel, Trump’s assistant who serves on the National Security Council. The American president will preside over the body. See the videos that are trending on g1 Tony Blair is a controversial choice in the Middle East, due to his role in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Trump himself said last year that he wanted to make sure he was an “acceptable option for everyone”. According to the White House, the peace council will discuss issues such as “strengthening governance capacity, regional relations, reconstruction, attracting investment, large-scale financing and capital mobilization.” Trump announced yesterday the creation of the council, a key element of the second phase of the Washington-backed plan to end the war in the Palestinian territory. “I can say with certainty that it is the largest and most prestigious council ever gathered at any time and place”, he highlighted, when making the announcement on social media. Tony Blair Toby Melville/Reuters The American president also appointed American Major General Jasper Jeffers this Friday to direct the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, which will have the mission of maintaining security in the Palestinian territory and training a new police force to succeed Hamas. Technocratic Committee Trump’s appointments were announced following the formation of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing the post-war Gaza Strip. It will be overseen by the peace council and led by former Palestinian deputy minister Ali Shaath. The committee includes Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, appointed high representative for coordination between the new governing body and the peace council. United States President Donald Trump on January 14, 2026 REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Committee members met today in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and will meet again tomorrow, one of them told AFP. New bombings The Israeli Army reported today that it once again attacked the Gaza Strip, in response to a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire decreed in October. The bombings take place despite Washington having announced that the plan for the territory had advanced to the second phase, marked by outstanding issues. For the Palestinians, the central point remains Israel’s complete military withdrawal, a step included in the plan but for which no detailed timetable has been announced. Hamas refuses to publicly commit to total disarmament, a non-negotiable demand from Israel.

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