Sir Keir Starmer is expected to join the team who will oversee war-torn Gaza under President Trump’s plan to bring peace to the region. The Labour leader is due to sit on the Gaza Board of Peace which will be chaired by the US President and aim to ensure Hamas disarms and investment flows into the Palestinian territory.
The Times reports that Sir Keir is set to be among the diplomatic big hitters who will run Gaza on a temporary basis as part of a 20-point peace plan.
The US President said the board will comprise “the most important leaders of the most important nations”.
He said: “You take the most important leaders and nations, that’s who the board of peace is going to be.”
The board is intended to supervise a future technocratic government made up of “qualified Palestinians and international experts”.
Senior figures from Egypt, Germany and Italy are due to join the body, which will also include representatives of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
It is unclear whether former Labour PM Sir Tony Blair will be part of the team, despite the White House saying in September he would be a member. It is reported Middle Eastern states have objected, owing to his role in the invasion of Iraq.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has said that Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov – a former defence and foreign minister who was a United Nations peace envoy – will serve as the board’s “designated” director-general.
Hamas has said it will dissolve its existing administration in Gaza once the Palestinian technocratic committee takes over.
