A Mini United Nations” | Trump’s Gaza: Rule by Billionaires, Not by Palestinians

The so-called Peace Council exposes a US-Israeli attempt to reengineer Gaza through elite financial control, sidelining sovereignty and political reality

United States, PUREWILAYAH.COM - Trump’s appointments to the bodies forming the so-called “Peace Council” lay bare a familiar pattern. Under the language of peace and reconstruction, the United States is moving to impose direct tutelage over the Gaza Strip.

At the core of this project is a small circle of billionaires closely tied to the White House. They are presented as managers, investors, and problem-solvers. In practice, they function as political proxies for American and Israeli interests.

The plan reflects a transactional mindset. Gaza is treated as a project to be engineered, stabilized, and monetized. Its political reality, social fabric, and national question are treated as secondary obstacles.

Despite early skepticism, Trump’s administration has pushed forward. The appointments signal an effort to impose a new governance model during the “second phase” of the ceasefire.

This model resembles a “Mini United Nations” in structure. In substance, it is closer to a corporate trusteeship designed in Washington.

Critics warn that such a framework is not only detached from Gaza’s realities. It is structurally incapable of producing stability, legitimacy, or peace.

Washington at the Top, Gaza at the Bottom

Trump’s plan is built around a rigid hierarchy. Authority flows downward from Washington, not upward from Palestinian society.

At the apex sits the “Peace Council,” chaired by Trump himself. It functions as the supreme political authority, concentrating final decision-making power in the White House.

Below it is the “Founding Executive Board.” This body serves as the plan’s financial and diplomatic engine. Of its seven principal members, six are American.

The third layer is the “Gaza Executive Board” (GEB). It includes international partners and is marketed as an inclusive structure. In reality, its composition exposes the project’s political bias.

The most controversial figure on the GEB is Israeli-Cypriot businessman Yakir Gabay. He is the board’s only Israeli member.

Gabay is a major real estate and investment magnate in Europe. His wealth is estimated at over four billion dollars.

Born in occupied Jerusalem, Gabay has attempted to portray himself as a neutral international investor. This claim collapses under scrutiny.

His family is deeply rooted in Israel’s governing elite. His father held senior positions in the Ministry of Justice and the civil service. His mother served in the public prosecution.

Reports indicate that Gabay’s ties to Washington predate Trump and intensified after the war on Gaza. In November 2023, he joined American and European businessmen in promoting a reconstruction plan conditioned on “strict security arrangements.”

The proposal was circulated quietly. It later reached the White House. It has now been formalized within Trump’s Gaza plan.

Billionaires as Governors, Palestinians as Administrators

The Founding Executive Board is widely viewed as the project’s real center of power. It is where money, diplomacy, and political leverage converge.

Trump populated this body with loyalists and financiers from his inner circle, turning Gaza’s future into a boardroom project run by unelected elites.

1. Jared Kushner
Jared Kushner occupies a central role. As the architect of the Abraham Accords, he embodies the normalization-first doctrine that systematically bypasses Palestinian rights.

Kushner is tasked with mobilizing Gulf sovereign wealth and securing political backing. His mission is to finance Gaza’s so-called “economic transformation” without addressing occupation, siege, or sovereignty.

Alongside Steve Witkoff, Kushner holds seats on both the Founding Executive Board and the Gaza Executive Board. This dual role further concentrates power in unelected hands.

2. Marc Rowan
Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management, functions as the plan’s chief financial engineer.

His assignment is to design complex investment vehicles capable of channeling global private capital into Gaza’s high-risk environment.

The stated objective is to move “from relief to investment.” The unstated reality is the financialization of a besieged territory under external control.

3. Tony Blair
Tony Blair’s presence adds another layer of controversy.

His political record—from the invasion of Iraq to broader interventionist projects in West Asia—has long been associated with regime engineering and imperial overreach.

His potential role in Gaza governance has drawn sharp criticism. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese rejected the idea outright, writing: “Tony Blair? No. Hands off Palestine.”

4. Robert Gabriel
Robert Gabriel, Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House, serves as the operational conduit to the Oval Office.

His role is to ensure that council decisions remain aligned with Trump’s domestic and political agenda, reinforcing White House control over the project.

5. Aryeh Lightstone
The White House also appointed Aryeh Lightstone as a senior adviser.

Lightstone previously served as a senior adviser to the US ambassador to Israel and was a key architect of the Abraham Accords, embedding Israeli-normalization logic directly into Gaza governance planning.

6. Josh Gruenbaum
Josh Gruenbaum was likewise appointed as a senior adviser.

He previously held senior procurement roles within the General Services Administration, positioning him as a technocratic enforcer of policy through contracts, logistics, and administrative control.

Both Lightstone and Gruenbaum are tasked with translating political priorities into daily operations. Neither represents Palestinian society, popular legitimacy, or elected Palestinian institutions.

Despite the elaborate structure, fundamental questions remain unanswered.

The division of authority between the American-dominated councils and the Palestinian technocrats committee chaired by Ali Shaath remains opaque.

That committee is expected to manage Gaza’s daily affairs. Yet it operates under external oversight, without political sovereignty or independent authority.

Analysts warn that the interaction between these three layers—a US-led council, an international executive body, and a Palestinian administrative committee—is structurally unstable.

At stake is not only Gaza’s reconstruction. It is the question of who governs, who decides, and whether Palestinians are allowed to exercise political agency in their own land. (PW)

This article is based on and adapted from an article published by Al-Akhbar.