Israel was not notified in advance about the inclusion of Qatari and Turkish officials on the Gaza Board of Peace announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. officials told Israel’s Channel 12 on Saturday.

According to the report, American officials acknowledged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not briefed beforehand on the makeup of the Board of Peace’s executive committee and was caught off guard by the presence of representatives from Turkey and Qatar.

“We did not tell Netanyahu in advance about the composition of the executive committee. He did not expect there to be representatives from Turkey and Qatar, but Gaza is now our show, not his show,” the U.S. officials were quoted as saying.

“If he wants the Trump administration to deal with Gaza — we will do it our way,” they added.

In a separate statement, the technocratic administration expected to take over governance in Gaza said it “embraces peace, through which we strive to secure the path to real Palestinian rights and self-determination.”

The comments came amid mounting concern in Jerusalem over the composition of the Board of Peace, with Israeli officials saying the framework contradicts Israeli policy and was not coordinated with Israel in advance.

Following the announcement, Netanyahu instructed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to raise Israel’s objections with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Israeli politicians across the political spectrum sharply criticized the announcement, with some labeling it a significant diplomatic setback.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the unveiling of the Board of Peace a “diplomatic failure for Israel.”

Lapid said he had warned the government over the past year that failing to advance an Egyptian-backed alternative with the United States and the international community would result in Turkish and Qatari involvement in Gaza.

“Last night the composition of the ‘Board of Peace’ was published — Turkey is in, Qatar is in, and according to the IDF, Hamas still has 30,000 armed men in Gaza,” Lapid wrote.

“This is a complete diplomatic failure of the Netanyahu government after the endless heroism and sacrifice of the soldiers and commanders of the IDF,” he added.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)