Nickolay Mladenov, CEO of the Board of Peace, and board member Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, are holding a series of meetings in Israel in an effort to accelerate practical steps toward implementing US President Donald Trump's plan for the Gaza Strip. The two met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and are also expected to meet with former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot on Friday.
The planned meeting with Eisenkot, who heads the Yashar! party, is intended to establish a relationship with him in light of the possibility that he could become Israel's prime minister in the future.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the discussions are not aimed at pursuing major initiatives at this stage, but rather at advancing practical measures, primarily the establishment of a humanitarian zone known as the "Green City," which is being built in the southern Gaza Strip.
The meetings are examining various ways to move the plan forward despite Hamas' refusal to disarm, which remains a major obstacle to its implementation.
The source also said the discussions addressed the transfer of all responsibilities currently held by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to other organizations, as first reported by Israel Hayom.
Under a plan being advanced through contacts between the Board of Peace and UNRWA, the UN agency would be gradually shut down, with its responsibilities transferred to other bodies, including the Board of Peace in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
The initiative, led by UNRWA's acting commissioner-general, Christian Saunders, stems in part from the agency's financial crisis and focuses on transferring responsibility for education and health care services.
However, the plan faces opposition from the Palestinian leadership and several countries concerned about the consequences of shutting down the agency.
