As President Donald Trump begins the second year of his second term, the world has grown accustomed to the unexpected. Even so, when his administration started rolling out the next phase of its plan for the future of Gaza last week, the package of committees and boards it announced contained some shocking surprises.
For starters, Israel raised objections to the plan because it involves countries with which it has tense relations in the administration of post-war Gaza. But the plan also included a jaw-dropping idea that has nothing to do with Gaza, one that would give Trump a scope of personal power so audaciously broad that it’s hard to imagine anyone else moving to turn into reality.
The focus of this phase of Trump’s 20-point ceasefire and peace plan for Gaza turns to rebuilding the territory, which was essentially razed by the Israeli invasion following Hamas’ attack of Oct. 7, 2023. To do so, the plan establishes a Gaza Executive Board that will oversee the work of the on-the-ground National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAG, akin to a technocratic Cabinet.