Ali Shaath Signs First Decree as Gaza Placed under US-Led Oversight
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/ali-shaath-signs-first-decree-as-gaza-placed-under-us-led-oversight/
Ali Shaath, head of the newly formed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, signed the committee’s mission statement on Sunday, marking his first official act since assuming the role amid intense debate over Gaza’s postwar governance.
In a statement published on social media, Shaath said the signing was intended to formally define the committee’s mandate, principles, and responsibilities during the transitional phase following Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
“As my first official act, I adopted and signed the mission statement of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza,” Shaath wrote. “This affirms our governing mandate and defines our operating principles and responsibilities.”
Shaath said the committee’s work is authorized under UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and the 20-point plan announced by US President Donald Trump, which underpins the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Resolution 2803 violates international law but who cares about that anymore.
He described the committee’s mission as transforming the transitional period into “a solid foundation for sustainable Palestinian prosperity,” adding that the work would proceed under the supervision of the US-led Board of Peace and with support from Gaza’s High Representative, Nikolai Mladenov.
According to Shaath, the committee’s priorities include restoring security, rebuilding essential services such as electricity, water, healthcare, and education, and reviving Gaza’s economy through transparency, integrity, and job creation.
“Our mission is not only to rebuild infrastructure,” he said, “but to revive Gaza’s social fabric and restore hope for the future.”
Shaath also emphasized that peace, in his view, is “the only path to securing legitimate Palestinian rights and preparing the way toward self-determination and a future based on justice and stability.”
Following the announcement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Shaath’s move, saying he looked forward to working with the committee to “build a better future for Gaza and the wider region.”
Jared Kushner, Trump’s envoy and a member of the Board of Peace’s executive body, echoed Shaath’s remarks on restoring security and services, commenting that “the serious work begins now.”
The White House confirmed on Friday that the Gaza governance framework consists of four parallel bodies: the Board of Peace, the Gaza Executive Board, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and an International Stabilization Force.
Israel far-right ministers reject US-backed postwar Gaza panel
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/18/israel-far-right-ministers-reject-us-backed-postwar-gaza-panel
Far-right members of Israel’s governing coalition on Sunday rejected a US-backed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, criticising their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for failing to annex the Palestinian territory and establish new Israeli settlements in the territory.
After the announcement of the White House’s pick of world leaders who will join the so-called Gaza “board of peace”, which includes representatives of Turkey and Qatar, both of which have been critical of Israel’s war in the strip, Israeli far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, described Netanyahu’s “unwillingness to take responsibility for Gaza” as “the original sin”.
According to Smotrich, himself a settler in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Israeli prime minister should instead “establish a military government there, to encourage immigration and settlement, and in this way to ensure Israel’s security for many years”.
Netanyahu himself objected to the plan on Saturday, citing how some of the appointments were “not coordinated with Israel and were contrary to its policy”, without specifying who. He told his foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, to contact the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
Israel has previously objected strongly to any Turkish role in postwar Gaza, with relations between the two countries having deteriorated sharply since the war began in October 2023.
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A draft charter sent to about 60 countries by the US administration calls for members to contribute $1bn in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years, according to the document seen by Reuters.
“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,” states the document, first reported by Bloomberg News. “The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.”
