The Good, The Ugly and The Insane of This Week’s White House Gaza Announcements

If you’ve been trying to understand what’s happening with the transition to “Phase Two” of the 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan – you are not alone.

This week brought a flood of announcements regarding implementation of the 20-point plan for Gaza: new bodies, overlapping mandates, and a swirl of appointments of key actors – some promising, some troubling, some frankly alarming.

The bottom line: it’s a mixed bag.

There are real steps forward, serious legitimacy gaps, and a grandiose vision for a “Board of Peace” that raises profound concerns – particularly the sweeping, extra-legal power it would vest in Donald Trump.

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One additional note before going further: for many of us who have stood with the hostage families for more than two years, it is hard to move forward knowing that the remains of Ran Gvili are still in Gaza. Returning his body must remain a top priority, pursued in parallel with every phase of the plan’s implementation.

So What Actually Happened This Week?

Phase Two of the 20-point plan was officially launched.

After months of skepticism about whether the process would ever move beyond Phase One — which reduced fighting, brought some hostages home, and modestly increased aid — the White House and mediators signaled determination to move, in Steve Witkoff’s words, “from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction.”

The Good

A Palestinian technocratic governing committee was named

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) is a 15-member technocratic body tasked with running Gaza’s civil affairs and reconstruction. It will be led by Dr. Ali Sha’ath, a Gaza-born former deputy minister with experience in public administration and economic development. Those I’ve spoken to who know him describe him as a pragmatic and non-ideological – precisely the kind of figure this moment requires.

The same can be said for most of the people on the Committee.

• Why this matters: professional, technocratic governance offers the best chance for functional administration and rebuilding without factional control.

An International Oversight Framework Was Announced

Under the umbrella of UNSC Resolution 2803, an international Executive Board will support implementation of the plan. The board includes U.S. officials, former international envoys, regional mediators, and private-sector figures.

Former UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov will serve as High Representative for Gaza, linking international oversight to the NCAG. Mladenov’s reputation and experience are strong. He has a deep understanding of the players and the issues and the strength to stand up to spoilers.

• Why this matters: Gaza’s reconstruction is being embedded — at least on paper — in a multilateral framework rather than treated as a purely American project.

Security leadership was named

Major General Jasper Jeffers was appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force. Key details about mandate, composition, and rules of engagement remain unclear — but naming leadership is a necessary first step.

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The Ugly

So much remains unresolved.

• Will Hamas actually step aside? Spokesman Bassem Naim called the committee “a step in the right direction,” but rhetoric is not the same as actually relinquishing power – and weapons. While this technocratic body is the only plausible alternative to Hamas, the terror group’s actual willingness to cede control remains untested.

• Is the Palestinian Authority being integrated or sidelined? A viable future requires Gaza and the West Bank under one reformed PA. PA Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed the move but stressed “one system, one law and one legitimate weapon.” Integration is part of the 20-point plan – but is there a real path to achieving it?

• And that challenge raises the most serious problem: the Israeli government is not on board. Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly rebuked the White House, calling the announcements uncoordinated and contrary to Israeli policy. At least one cause of his objection: the prominent roles for Turkey and Qatar which cause him a domestic headache. The reaction of a senior White House official quoted in Axios was the right one: “This is our show, not his show… He will do his politics and we will keep moving forward with our plan. He can’t really go against us.”

Why this matters: Without Israeli cooperation, Hamas demilitarization, or PA integration, implementation will be extraordinarily difficult. And reconstruction cannot begin until Israel allows access to Western Gaza and the NCAG begins to operate there.

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The Insane (or at least Deeply Concerning)

As we’ve known since the ceasefire, the White House is intent on ensuring that Donald Trump personally plays a central role in the so-called Board of Peace, an entity authorized by the United Nations to exercise real power over Gaza’s transition.

Reports are circulating about draft charter language accompanying invitations to world leaders that would extend the Board’s authority far beyond Gaza – potentially into other global conflicts. If accurate, this risks transforming what was conceived as a limited transitional mechanism for Gaza into something far more permanent and dangerous.

Even crazier, these same reports say the charter draft proposes that he remain Chair after leaving office with significant ongoing power and that he have authority to name his successor.

Needless to say, if any of these reports are true, even contemplating this level of personal, unaccountable power vested in a single individual is unprecedented — and deeply troubling. I have to imagine that serious leaders from Europe to the Middle East will balk at this conception.

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Closing Thoughts

There is real progress here – especially the move toward technocratic Palestinian governance and meaningful international engagement. But the picture remains clouded – with overlapping mandates, outrageous and illegitimate assertions of power and a frosty Israeli reaction.

My good friend Gershon Baskin has a solid optimist’s take on the path forward. In his words:

Too many of us are cynical and criticize what is happening. That is not constructive. This is the time to support this process and to contribute to bringing the Israeli-Palestinian to a peaceful end.

The problems of Gaza and Israel/Palestine more broadly were created over a century. They will not be resolved in one news cycle – and certainly not this week in Davos. But if peace is to become a reality, the journey starts with taking small steps in the right direction - some of which were outlined this week.

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