Israeli security cabinet approves entry of Trump's Board of Peace into Gaza

Israel's security cabinet approved on Sunday the entry of President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, meant to oversee postwar Gaza, into the Strip, one day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Washington. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voted against the decision. Israel's approval to begin the pilot project is an attempt by Netanyahu to demonstrate goodwill ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Earlier Sunday, a source familiar with the details told Haaretz that the success of the meeting would be measured by what the prime minister can offer Trump, whose support he needs ahead of the election. Demonstrating progress and goodwill from Israel is possible on two issues: Lebanon and Gaza. In Lebanon, Israel approved after a delay of several weeks a symbolic withdrawal from one pilot area, and it is now taking another symbolic step in Gaza – one that Israel had also delayed for a long time. According to sources familiar with the details, the decision approved the entry of an initial international peacekeeping force as part of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, into a limited area in Rafah. An Israeli diplomatic official said that, at this stage, the plan involves around 200 representatives from "friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco." According to the diplomatic official, any entry of forces from the International Stabilization Force would require specific approval from the prime minister, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. Close Moroccan army station in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, 2022. Credit: Fadel Senna/AFP Moroccan army station in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, 2022. Credit: Fadel Senna/AFP The official said Israel would determine which countries are allowed to send troops, and that in any case they would be "only countries that have peace agreements with Israel and are not acting against Israel or its officials on the international stage." According to the original plan, the first phase of the pilot was supposed to see 500 Moroccan troops enter a refugee camp in Rafah that would be under the responsibility of the multinational force. If only 200 troops enter, as the diplomatic official said, it could indicate that the cabinet decided to divide the deployment into stages. It also allows members of the Palestinian technocratic committee – which had been barred by Israel from accessing Gaza – to finally enter the territory, gradually and under restrictions. Under the 20-point plan, governance in the Gaza Strip – or in areas designated as "terror-free" – is supposed to be transferred to the committee, named the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or the NCAG. However, according to a source in the Board of Peace, the committee members will not enter the Gaza Strip in the first stage. The technocratic committee is expected to operate in the "Orange Zone" – a small area situated between the IDF's Yellow Line, delineating where Israeli-controlled Gaza begins, and the Orange Line, which was unilaterally established by the IDF deep inside the territory officially under Hamas control. Close A map supplied by the UN's OCHA detailing the Israeli-designated Yellow and Orange lines in Gaza. Credit: OCHA A map supplied by the UN's OCHA detailing the Israeli-designated Yellow and Orange lines in Gaza. Credit: OCHA The IDF has urged humanitarian aid organizations to coordinate any movement within the Orange Zone with the military. There is no military presence in the area, but the IDF controls it through the use of firepower. By imposing the Orange Line, Israel has put 65 percent of the Gaza Strip under movement restriction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had directed the army to increase the Israeli-controlled territory to 70 percent of Gaza . Haaretz Podcast 'An extreme right-wing Israel can't just pour billions into PR and expect its U.S. image to improve' play Haaretz Podcast 'An extreme right-wing Israel can't just pour billions into PR and expect its U.S. image to improve' Volume: 0.5 X1 total -- : -- time 0:00 fast forward 15 play rewind 15 Earlier this month, Hamas announced that the body that administers Gaza on its behalf has resigned in order to transfer its powers to the committee in a move regarded as largely symbolic, in part due to the committee's members. The resignation also does not concern Hamas' military wing, while mediators are still negotiating with the group over its disarmament. Close Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen during Eid al-Fitr in Gaza City, March. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana / AP Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen during Eid al-Fitr in Gaza City, March. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana / AP A source familiar with the details said the cabinet decision includes approval to build two temporary residential areas for displaced Palestinians. One of them, to be located in the Orange Zone, the source said, will have a capacity of tens of thousands of people. According to sources who spoke with Haaretz, an IDF pullout will not be required in order to allow for the establishment of the camp. The second, which is expected to be built adjacent to it and has already been dubbed the "Emirati neighborhood," is expected to house a smaller number of residents. As its name suggests, the project will be funded by the United Arab Emirates. Neither camp has yet been built, but basic infrastructure work has already been carried out in preparation for their construction. Related Articles Can Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza force its plan on Hamas and Israel? Liza Rozovsky Facing a Tuesday deadline, Hamas still opposes Board of Peace's disarmament plan Liza Rozovsky Gaza's Board of Peace has three paths to reconstruction. Israel is blocking them Liza Rozovsky Palestinian police officers recruited by the technocratic committee will be responsible for security inside the camp itself. However, at present there are only a few hundred potential recruits, who are in Egypt for training. Israel has yet to approve the departure of thousands of additional potential police recruits from Gaza to Egypt. Close Hamas police officers stand guard at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City in May. Credit: Omar Al-Qattaa AFP Hamas police officers stand guard at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City in May. Credit: Omar Al-Qattaa AFP The Palestinian police officers who will operate in the enclave will not be armed with live weapons, but will be equipped only with rubber batons and tasers, according to a source familiar with the details. The combination of an enclave wedged between two sides engaged in fighting, the extensive restrictions imposed on the police force, and previous attempts to establish humanitarian zones in Gaza – including the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, where hundreds of Palestinians were killed while attempting to reach its distribution sites – has raised criticism and questions over the pilot project's chances of success. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir instructed the military on Sunday morning to prepare for the entry of foreign forces from Morocco and Kosovo into the Gaza Strip. The forces will primarily carry out policing and public order missions, and only in areas under full operational IDF control. Some will be stationed at bases inside Israel near the Gaza border communities, while others will be housed in designated compounds inside the Strip. Security sources acknowledged that implementing the plan on the ground could take months, with some expressing deep skepticism that the measures will alter the strategic reality in Gaza. Zamir's directive marks a departure from his consistent position after months in which the IDF maintained a firm stance against any flexibility without the simultaneous disarmament of Hamas. In a meeting Zamir held with senior General Staff officials, it was made clear that the IDF would need to show flexibility and provide an operational response to political leadership demands following commitments made to the Trump administration. However, security officials acknowledge that, for now, there is no entity authorized to operate in areas controlled by Hamas and dismantle the organization's weapons. Officials in Gaza are following reports of the cabinet's approval, but the assessment is that it is a limited step whose implications remain unclear. A Palestinian source close to members of the technocratic committee said there is still uncertainty over which body will actually oversee security in the pilot area, whether Palestinian police will be allowed to operate alongside the external force, and what status will be granted to local militias, some of which currently operate in several areas under Israeli auspices. A senior figure in one of the Palestinian factions who was involved in contacts with Hamas and mediators said the move was an attempt by Israel to have it both ways. According to him, the goal is to portray Israel as cooperating with the Trump administration's initiatives while simultaneously signaling to the Israeli public that no substantial concessions have been made.