Israel was not notified in advance about the presence of Qatari and Turkish officials among the Gaza Board of Peace (BoP) announced by US President Donald Trump, US officials told N12 on Saturday.
"We did not tell Netanyahu in advance about the composition of the executive committee. He did not expect there to be representatives from Turkey and Qatar, but Gaza is now our show, not his show," the officials told N12.
"If he [Netanyahu] wants the Trump administration to deal with Gaza - we will do it our way," they added. In a separate statement, the technocratic administration expected to take over Gaza said that it "embrace[s] peace, through which we strive to secure the path to real Palestinian rights and self-determination." The revelation came as Israeli officials raised concerns over the makeup of the BoP, saying that it contradicts Israeli policy and was not brought up with Israeli authorities.
"If he [Netanyahu] wants the Trump administration to deal with Gaza - we will do it our way," they added. In a separate statement, the technocratic administration expected to take over Gaza said that it "embrace[s] peace, through which we strive to secure the path to real Palestinian rights and self-determination." The revelation came as Israeli officials raised concerns over the makeup of the BoP, saying that it contradicts Israeli policy and was not brought up with Israeli authorities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to take the matter up with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Prime Minister's Office stated following the announcement. Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum slammed the announcement of the BoP members in various statements on Saturday. Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) called the announcement on the Gaza Board of Peace a "diplomatic failure for Israel." (Read More)
