Board of Peace Taps Biden Era Liaison to Court Democratic Congress

The Board of Peace has appointed Shelley Greenspan to a senior role focused on winning support from Democratic members of Congress for the U.S. Gaza peace plan.

Greenspan, who served as President Joe Biden’s liaison to the Jewish community, begins her new position next week. She will report to Josh Gruenbaum and Aryeh Lightstone, both senior advisers to the board.

Her primary task is to build bipartisan backing for the board and the administration’s 20-point plan. The Trump administration intends to ensure these initiatives survive a change in leadership, specifically if a Democrat wins the presidency in 2028.

Greenspan brings a long history of service in national security and foreign policy. She previously worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign research team and held management and policy roles at Amazon and other technology companies.

Her government service includes positions at the State Department and the National Security Council, where she focused on global partnerships. In 2022, the Biden White House appointed her to serve as its official point of contact for the Jewish community.

The board’s strategy mirrors concerns raised after the 2020 Abraham Accords. During his first term, President Trump announced normalization deals between Israel and several Arab nations. However, the Biden administration paused efforts to expand those agreements after taking office in January 2021.

Critics noted that the Biden team was hesitant to use the term “Abraham Accords” for years. It was not until June 2023 that then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed Dan Shapiro as a special envoy to expand the accords.

Recent months have seen prominent Democrats voice support for the current Gaza strategy. Jack Lew, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, and Brett McGurk, a former senior Biden adviser, have both endorsed the plan. Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, also wrote in favor of the framework.

Clinton, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, described the 20-point plan in a Financial Times article. She called it the only framework with enough leverage and resources to move the parties toward implementation.

Greenspan said she is honored to join the board during a consequential time. She noted that her work at the State Department allowed her to see how the plan can deliver tangible benefits for the people of Gaza and Israel.

The Board of Peace stated that Greenspan earned trust across the aisle through her service in both Democratic and Republican administrations. The board said her ability to lead the effort for sustained congressional support is essential to the work ahead.