Nicosia, Cyprus. Israeli media on Wednesday reported that the Gaza Board of Peace had taken decisions on personnel and operations, amid indications that a meeting may have taken place in Cyprus. No official has confirmed that such a meeting began or where it was held.
Reported personnel decision
According to The Times of Israel, the Board of Peace decided on Wednesday to relieve its director of deradicalisation, Jason Olson, of his duties. The newspaper quoted an unnamed Board of Peace official as saying that his “recent detail in support of the Board of Peace mission has concluded”.
The official added, “we thank him for his capacity-building contributions”.
Olson is a Mormon academic who, before his appointment to the Board of Peace in May, served as an executive agent in the United States army’s Middle East and North Africa peacekeeping operations. He had also written an article in the Jerusalem Post titled, “Why we’re standing with Israel: A Latter-day Saint view”.
Reports of a Cyprus meeting
The Times of Israel reported that Olson’s dismissal came as much of the Board of Peace’s professional staff were meeting in Cyprus to prepare a committee of Palestinian technocrats to enter Gaza in place of Hamas.
A week earlier, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed that the meeting would take place. Since then, the Cypriot government has declined to comment further on the matter.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said Cyprus is neither “organising” nor “co-organising” the meeting. He also said the Cypriot government is “not participating in the discussions”.
Although Letymbiotis said that “officials” had “requested meetings” with Kombos, no such meetings have been announced this week. A meeting between former British prime minister Tony Blair, a member of the Board of Peace, and President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia that had been announced for Monday did not take place.
Reported humanitarian zone plan
Meanwhile, Israel Hayom reported that the Board of Peace had decided to open “‘Hamas-free’ humanitarian zones” in Gaza, with civilian populations to be directed to camps in those areas to receive humanitarian aid.
The newspaper said that “civilians with no weapons or affiliation with Hamas” would first be directed to the suburb of Tel Sultan, north of Rafah and adjacent to the Egyptian border.
It added that “multinational forces under the Board of Peace’s management will also arrive in the area and will be based at a facility built for them at Camp Amitai”, located just outside the Gaza Strip near the Kerem Shalom border crossing.