Netanyahu expresses rare criticism of US, says composition of Gaza Executive Board 'runs contrary' to Israeli policy

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced the members of the Board of Peace, which is intended to oversee efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip. He also announced an interim body, the Gaza Executive Board, which will operate between the Board of Peace and the Palestinian technocrat committee.

The new board includes representatives from Turkey and Qatar, particularly Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi. 

The announcement drew swift responses from Israeli leaders and politicians from across the political spectrum, most of whom were highly critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Following Trumps announcement, the Prime Minister’s Office released an unusual statement said that the Gaza Executive Board had not been coordinated with Israel. 

“The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy,” the statement read. 

The Prime Minister's Office:

The announcement regarding the composition of the Gaza Executive Board, which is subordinate to the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 17, 2026

In a further statement, the Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu had instructed Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to speak with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

This appears to be an attempt by Netanyahu not to directly attack Trump, but to respond indirectly through a lower channel. It also appears to contradict Netanyahu's insistence that he manages Israel's strategic relationship with the U.S. directly with Trump, particularly on core issues concerning Gaza, security and the day after. 

Hebrew news site Maariv quoted an Israeli political official who said that while the composition of the Board of Peace and the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) were coordinated with Israel, the announcement of the Gaza Executive Board came as a surprise to Israel. 

A report by Israeli White House correspondent Barak Ravid, said that the Trump administration did not notify Netanyahu in advance about the new board. 

"If he wants us to deal with Gaza, it will have to be our way. We worked over him,” Ravid quoted an anonymous U.S. official as saying. “This is our show, not his show. We managed to do things in Gaza in recent months nobody thought was possible, and we are going to continue moving.” 

The Gaza Executive Board will operate under the Board of Peace, but is expected to be more closely involved in the day to day management of the reconstruction efforts in Gaza, including the distribution of finances and resources within the Strip. Because of the previous involvement of the government of Qatar in distributing money in Gaza, much of which directly aided Hamas’ construction of terror infrastructure, Israeli security officials were reported to be alarmed. 

A report in Ynet said that IDF leadership is strongly opposed to Qatari involvement in the reconstruction of Gaza due to its previous funding of the terror organization Hamas, which enabled the terror group to prepare for the Oct. 7 massacres. 

A senior IDF official said, “For every kilogram of cement that built the Qatari neighborhood in Khan Yunis about a decade ago, three kilograms of concrete went into Hamas's terror tunnels.” 

“This must not happen again, because the money will ultimately be channeled to strengthening Hamas, even if it is initially for civilian purposes, it will serve the purpose of leaving Hamas in power in the Strip,” the official said.