Tony Blair could lead transitional authority in Gaza: reports


Former UK prime minister Tony Blair could take a leading role in a transitional authority for Gaza under US-led peace plans, various British media reported on Friday.

It follows Blair’s involvement in discussions with the administration of US President Donald Trump and others over the post-war transitional body for the Palestinian territory.

The plan could involve Blair leading the authority with the support of the UN and Gulf nations, according to the BBC and The Economist magazine.

The Financial Times reported that the former UK leader, who worked as a Middle East peace mediator formally from 2007 to 2015, had asked to be on its supervisory board.

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a non-profit organization, declined to comment to AFP on the stories.

Israeli media reports last week about his involvement in the US-led peace plan prompted sources close to Blair to confirm that he has been working on a scheme to halt the conflict alongside other parties.

However, they noted he would not support any proposal to permanently displace Gazans, and that any transitional governing body for the territory would ultimately hand power back to the Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah in the West Bank.

In its report, The Economist said that a body to be known as the “Gaza International Transitional Authority” would seek a UN mandate to be the “supreme political and legal authority” for five years, before handing control to Palestinians.

The authority would have a secretariat of up to 25 people and a seven-person board, it added.

It would initially be based in Egypt, near Gaza’s southern border, before transferring to Gaza once it is secure, the BBC said.

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen told BBC Radio on Friday that “I love” the idea, calling Blair a “wonderful person.”

“If he is willing to take this responsibility, which is huge, I think... there is a hope” for Gaza, he added.

“I think that he can bear that burden strongly.”

Blair’s involvement would inevitably raise eyebrows given his involvement in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

An official UK inquiry into the conflict found he had acted on flawed intelligence when deciding to join the war.

Blair reportedly joined a White House meeting with Trump in August to discuss plans for post-war Gaza.

Trump has floated plans to make Gaza the “Riviera of the Middle East,” involving the forced displacement of Palestinians in the territory.

US President Donald Trump has endorsed former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s proposal for a postwar plan in Gaza, giving him two weeks to rally international support for the initiative, The Telegraph reported .

The plan, drafted by the Tony Blair Institute, calls for the creation of a temporary governing body known as the Gaza International Transitional Authority.

The body, to be established under the auspices of the UN, would administer the territory for several years before transferring authority to a reformed Palestinian Authority.

According to The Times of Israel, the draft proposal describes the GITA as the “supreme political and legal authority for Gaza during the transitional period.” It would include at least one Palestinian representative, senior UN officials, prominent international business figures, and “strong representation of Muslim members.”

The blueprint rules out the forced displacement of Palestinians, instead proposing a Property Rights Preservation Unit to guarantee the rights of Palestinians in Gaza who voluntarily leave the territory, including a right of return.

It also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and the formation of an international force to assist Gaza’s civil police in preventing the group’s resurgence.

Blair has been working on what he terms the “day after” plan since the outbreak of the conflict in October 2023, meeting senior Trump officials and regional leaders to build support.

Trump formally endorsed the proposal during an Aug. 27 meeting at the White House, where his son-in-law Jared Kushner has played a leading role in shaping postwar options.

While Israel has rejected the Palestinian Authority taking on a direct role in Gaza, reports suggest it has engaged “constructively” with Blair’s proposal. However, renewed Israeli military operations in Gaza City and recent strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar have raised questions over the viability of the plan.

Blair’s institute has declined to comment publicly on the proposal.

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