Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib: Inside the technocratic council set to rule Gaza
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 24 January 2026
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, the head of Realign For Palestine, an Atlantic Council project that challenges entrenched narratives in the Israel and Palestine discourse.
This week, we dive into the 12-member National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
The technocratic council is headed by former Palestinian Authority deputy planning minister Ali Shaath. It is tasked with running daily affairs on the ground and providing services for Gazans in place of the Hamas terror group.
The committee held its first meeting in Cairo on Thursday, but is currently barred by Israel from entering the Gaza Strip and its work remains in limbo as the Board of Peace begins its activities in Davos this week.
We hear how the names on the technocratic council are relatively consensus figures -- among Gazan Palestinians -- and learn about Israel's objections to this committee and Trump's naming of Qatar and Turkey to the Gaza Executive Board.
Alkhatib delves into the lack of popular Hamas support throughout the Strip, but points out the massive enforcement problem that the committee will face as the armed terrorist group maintains its hold.
And so this week, we ask Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, what matters now.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.
IMAGE: Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (courtesy) / A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, January 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's What Matters Now, a weekly podcast delving into one issue |
| 0:09.6 | focusing on Israel and the Jewish world right now. |
| 0:13.6 | I'm a host Deputy Editor Amanda Borschal-Dahn here with Ahmed Ford al-Khattib, who is the |
| 0:19.2 | head of Realign for Palestine, which is an Atlantic Council |
| 0:23.8 | project that challenges entrenched narratives into Israel and Palestinian discourse. So Ahmed, as ever, |
| 0:32.8 | thank you so much for joining me. And today, you're joining me from a different location than you usually |
| 0:38.4 | are. Can you tell our listening audience where you are today? Well, good to be with you again, |
| 0:43.1 | Amanda. Greetings from London. I am doing a series of engagements, both public and private here |
| 0:50.0 | around Gaza's future, the Israel and Palestine discourse, anti-Semitism, engagement on college campuses. |
| 0:57.8 | Apologies for the poor lighting and the setup, it's not optimal, but I thought we really should |
| 1:04.3 | discuss a few of the urgent developments that are taking place around the Gaza peace plan, the peace board, and the technocratic committee. |
| 1:14.5 | But yes, it's been a great visit here in London, a lot of anticipation as to what's next. |
| 1:20.1 | And I look forward to our conversation. |
| 1:22.3 | Always. And I'm so glad that we have these monthly check-ins. |
| 1:26.2 | And today I really do want to focus on this 12-member |
| 1:29.8 | council of Palestinian technocrats that was basically just announced. I'm not privy to all of the |
| 1:37.1 | names. I assume that you have much more information than I do. But I do understand that this 12-member |
| 1:42.7 | National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, |
| 1:46.1 | as it's being called, is being headed by a former Palestinian Authority deputy planning minister. |
| 1:53.4 | So let's, if you don't mind, let's start by breaking down the who of who is on this technocratic committee as far as you know. |
| 2:02.4 | Well, I think for the sake of our listeners, to simplify it, really, a lot of these folks |
| 2:09.3 | come from primarily former Palestinian Authority roles. They have served in professional |
... |
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