From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 19, 2026
Netanyahu called Rubio to express dismay at inclusion of Qatar, Turkey on Executive Board
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Only hours after his office issued an announcement that he had instructed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to express Israel’s opposition to the make-up of the Gaza Executive Board to his US counterpart Marco Rubio, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself spoke with top US diplomat, Channel 12 reports.
Netanyahu stressed to Rubio Israel’s opposition to Qatar and Turkey’s inclusion, and emphasized that Israel was surprised by the US statement announcing the make-up of the Executive Board.
Sources tell Channel 12 that Netanyahu realizes, however, that there is no way to turn back the clock on the decision, now that Trump has announced it.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirms to the outlet that the call took place.
The Times of Israel Community.