Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Nikolay Mladenov, the former United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, has held talks with a senior Palestinian official amid growing indications that US President Donald Trump is moving closer to unveiling a new governance framework for post-war Gaza.
According to American officials, Trump is expected to announce the formation of what is being described as a “Peace Council for Gaza” later this month, possibly as early as next week. The body is presented as a central pillar of an interim governing arrangement under Trump’s phased plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas and reshape the administration of the enclave.
The meeting took place on Friday in Ramallah, where Mladenov met Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior official in the Palestinian Authority. Al-Sheikh said the discussions focused on the situation in Gaza, pathways to advancing the second phase of Trump’s plan, mechanisms for implementing the US proposal, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, which addresses post-conflict governance and stabilization measures.
Mladenov, who previously served as the UN’s top envoy to the Middle East, is widely expected to play a leading operational role on the ground should the Peace Council be formally established. A source familiar with the talks said he is not expected to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at this stage. Under the US proposal, control of Gaza would ultimately be transferred from the Peace Council to the Palestinian Authority, though only after an undefined transitional period.
Trump’s initiative follows a faltering first phase that was meant to establish a ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees. That phase has been repeatedly strained by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that killed hundreds of people, Hamas’s refusal to disarm, and delays in reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, a critical lifeline for humanitarian aid and civilian movement.
While Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violating the initial understandings, Trump has signaled his determination to move ahead with the second phase of the plan. This next stage is expected to include the establishment of the Peace Council and the deployment of an international stabilization or peacekeeping force, although the composition, mandate, and legal basis of such a force remain unresolved.
The political terrain surrounding the proposal remains highly contentious. Israel has rejected any future role for Hamas in governing Gaza, which the group controlled prior to the war, but has also expressed opposition to the Palestinian Authority assuming immediate control of the territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that he and senior advisers met with Mladenov on Thursday, emphasizing Israel’s insistence that Hamas be fully disarmed and that Gaza be demilitarized as a condition for any political transition.
Netanyahu’s office indicated that Mladenov is slated to become the director of the Peace Council in Gaza, underscoring the central role envisioned for him in implementing the US-backed plan.
For the Palestinian Authority, the initiative presents both an opportunity and a dilemma. While the prospect of eventually regaining administrative control over Gaza aligns with long-standing Palestinian political objectives, concerns remain about the legitimacy, scope, and sovereignty implications of an externally driven transitional body operating in the territory.
As diplomatic activity intensifies, the future of Gaza remains uncertain, shaped by competing Israeli security demands, Palestinian political divisions, humanitarian imperatives, and an American-led effort to impose a new framework on one of the region’s most intractable conflicts.
