The Trump administration and Israel have backed a plan to enlist a newly established Geneva-based foundation to run humanitarian operations in Gaza, effectively ending the United Nations’ role as the primary coordinator of humanitarian assistance for the besieged Palestinian population of over 2 million people, according to several diplomatic and humanitarian sources.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, provided an overview to the U.N. Security Council on U.S. efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Witkoff and his team have also held meetings with David Beasley, a former South Carolina governor who served as executive director of the World Food Programme, to participate in the foundation’s project, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Beasley had also been urged by Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, to participate in the project. Axios first reported on Witkoff’s outreach to Beasley.
During the council meeting, Witkoff told foreign delegates that he was disappointed that the U.N. relief agencies had put out public statements opposing the plan without engaging directly in talks over an alternative to the U.N. run operations. He said the U.S. wants this to work and it needs the rest of the international community to get on board and participate in finding a solution, according to a source familiar with the closed-door meeting.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
