Board of Peace undeterred by Israel’s rejection of peace plan at this stage

The leaders of the Board of Peace do not believe Israel’s rejection of the 15-point peace plan will be a roadblock to stabilizing Gaza, because the Jewish state is not yet needed to act.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet during a meeting on Sunday that he is unambiguous in declaring Israel’s rejection of the 15-point Gaza peace proposal outlined by the BOP. The plan, which was originally understood to be a tit-for-tat arrangement in which Hamas and Israel trade responsibility for removing their military capabilities from the region, offended Jerusalem with perceived expectations for the Israel Defense Forces to withdraw before a total disarmament of the terrorist group.

“I want to clarify here … Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu told his ministers at the meeting. “I heard people saying, ‘You didn’t say so’ … So here I am saying it again: Israel rejects the 15-point document.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the state memorial for Ze’ev Jabotinsky, at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo)

“The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say Hamas must be disarmed, I mean the heavy weapons, the less-heavy weapons, all weapons. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not a fictitious one,” the prime minister said.

He added that Israel’s position is one of prioritizing above all else its own national security, and that Israeli leaders “can and know how to stand our ground even against our very best friends when necessary.”

But BOP CEO Nickolay Mladenov, speaking to Israeli outlet Channel 12 News on Sunday not long after the prime minister made his remarks, downplayed the necessity of Israeli participation at the moment.

“The road map is the document between the Board of Peace — led by President Donald Trump — and Hamas,” Mladenov explained, adding that “nobody is required to do anything — last of all Israel — before we actually have verified steps on the ground.”

The BOP is emphasizing in its public messaging that Hamas is the party expected to make the first move by disarming itself and allowing an International Stabilization Force to enter the region and take control of law enforcement.

“If there is verified decommissioning of weapons, that they are taken away from the factions, and stored, and ultimately rendered unusable, Israel then withdraws from Gaza,” Mladenov said.

In the current framework, the BOP aims to establish a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza — an international, technocratic body tasked with running the civilian government of the strip. Alongside this civil administration, the ISF will maintain peace through military authority. Kosovo, Albania, Kazakhstan, Morocco, ​and Uganda have all pledged personnel for the ISF.

The BOP is currently working to select and vet individuals for both bodies. It is also working to close building contracts for the construction of bases and outposts for the hypothetical peace-keeping troops.

High representative for President Donald Trump’s International Board of Peace and its efforts in Gaza Nickolay Mladenov speaks to the media during the Board of Peace press briefing in East Jerusalem, May 13, 2026. (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo, file)

A Louisiana firm won the first such contract to build a small outpost a mile away from the Israeli border, where Moroccan troops will be able to rotate.

The board CEO has also catered to the Israeli side by repeatedly reiterating that the entire purpose of the 15-point plan is to ensure that “what happened on [Oct. 7, 2023] will never, ever be allowed to happen” again, adding, “The option that we are offering today is the only way that we move forward that guarantees that this tragedy will not occur again”

The BOP has portrayed itself as sober-minded and realistic about the timeline of a successful reconstruction campaign in Gaza.

In public statements, the board and its officials have rejected any notion of relying on “trust,” instead suggesting that the end of the conflict must be ruthlessly pragmatic and account for the possibility of bad faith.

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“I’m not building any of this on the basis of trust, and none of us are, and we’re very clear-eyed about the risks going forward,” Mladenov said. 

A BOP official previously told the Washington Examiner that while the first steps in establishing the NCAG and ISF can be expected in the coming weeks, the overall project will likely take years to implement.

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