Israeli minister censures Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ plan, calls for Gaza occupation

Hawkish Israeli minister in charge of illegal settlements, Orit Strock, has lashed out at US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace,” branding it a “bad plan” and instead calling for Israel to reoccupy the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with the settler radio station Galey Israel on Sunday, Strock said that Israeli soldiers should not be put in danger for what she considers a misguided initiative, warning that she might resign from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition if the plan moves forward.

“We are not supposed to endanger our soldiers for this bad plan, and I may have to leave,” the administration, she said.

Strock clearly supported the idea of Israel reoccupying Gaza, dismissing any other options for governance.

In 2005, a unilateral disengagement plan led by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon resulted in Israel’s withdrawal of troops from Gaza and the dismantling of settlements.

Strock claimed that Israel ought to be the sole authority in Gaza, rejecting the idea of establishing a technocratic Palestinian administration, which was agreed in the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, beginning last week. 

Her comments came a few days after Trump signed the founding charter of his self-styled “Board of Peace” during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, marking the official start of an initiative he has advocated as a component of a larger Gaza strategy.

Netanyahu joins familiar circle of war at heart of Trump’s Gaza plan

Netanyahu’s office says the Israeli premier has agreed to join Trump’s so-called Board of Peace, despite disagreements over the advisory body’s composition and mandate.

On January 15, Trump revealed his intention to create a “Board of Peace” as part of his strategy for Gaza, which led to the signing of a ceasefire agreement. 

The board received official endorsement through UN Security Council Resolution 2803 in November 2025.

According to the White House, Trump chairs the board. Its charter does not specifically reference the coastal sliver, which is home to around 2.4 million individuals, including around 1.5 million who are displaced and facing severe humanitarian challenges.

It grants Trump extensive lifelong powers, such as the ability to veto decisions and appoint members.

Experts warn that this framework is an effort to circumvent the United Nations.

The genocidal Gaza war that commenced in October 2023 and continued for nearly two years concluded with a ceasefire, resulting in the killing of at least 71,657 Palestinians and inflicting injuries on an additional 171,399 people.

Widespread devastation resulted from the war, leading to damage or destruction of around 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure. The United Nations estimates that the cost of reconstruction is approximately $70 billion.

The second phase of the Gaza ceasefire was announced after Israel violated every term of the first, with full US backing.

It stipulates the disarmament of Hamas and various Palestinian resistance factions, further Israeli military pullback from the region, and the launch of reconstruction efforts.

Hamas, however, has rejected calls to surrender its weapons, proposing instead that they be “stored” or “frozen.”

The group stresses that it is a resistance movement against Israel, which the United Nations considers the occupying power in the Palestinian territories.

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