Board of Peace briefs congressional leaders on implementing Israel-Hamas peace plan

The U.S.-backed Board of Peace briefed senior national security advisers and staff for House and Senate Republican and Democrat leaders on Monday about “the Roadmap and the current state of implementation with Israel and Hamas,” a board official said.

National security advisers for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) were briefed by a Board of Peace delegation led by senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum.

Gen. (ret.) Mark Schwartz, the board’s security lead, participated remotely, according to the board.

The board delegation briefed attendees on current efforts to implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s “comprehensive peace plan and emphasized the determination to work with Congress in a bipartisan manner to advance peace, security, governance and reconstruction in Gaza,” the official said.

Earlier in the day, Nickolay Mladenov, the board’s high representative for Gaza, and senior adviser Aryeh Lightstone met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They reportedly asked him to halt airstrikes in Gaza.

Israeli officials said earlier in the week that they do not intend to withdraw from Gaza unless the Hamas terror group, which controls the Strip, and other Palestinian terror groups are first disarmed completely.

Trump and the Board of Peace announced over the weekend that Hamas agreed to give up its weapons, which, according to the so-called roadmap, would lead to a gradual, progressive withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops from the enclave.

Israeli officials and others are skeptical that Hamas will actually cede its weapons and are reportedly concerned that some of the language in the roadmap allows Hamas to skirt disarmament requirements.

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