Sir Tony Blair reportedly wants to run an interim Gaza government when the war between Israel and Hamas ends.
The former prime minister wants to temporarily take charge of the besieged territory before handing it over to the Palestinian Authority, who previously controlled it until 2006.
The plan, which is being fronted by his think tank, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), is said to have the support of Donald Trump‘s key allies, including his son-in-law and former Middle East adviser Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East.
The pair reportedly argued in favour of Mr Blair’s plan in a meeting with the US President last month, who presented the proposals to Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia and five Arab countries at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
The plan would see the former Labour leader head a body called the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), which would be Gaza’s ‘supreme political and legal authority’ for five years.
GITA could initially be based in el-Arish, the capital of Egypt‘s North Sinai province near Gaza’s south. It would enter the strip accompanied by a multinational force.
Funded by the Gulf states, Mr Blair would head a secretariat of up to 25 people and lead a seven-person board.
Gaza and the West Bank would be reunited and control would later be handed to the Palestinian Authority, who would have to undergo major reforms beforehand.
Sir Tony Blairs reportedly wants to run an interim Gaza government when the war between Israel and Hamas ends
The former prime minister wants to temporarily run the besieged territory before handing it over to the Palestinian Authority, who previously controlled it until 2006
‘He’s willing to sacrifice his time. He genuinely wants to end the war,’ a source close to Mr Blair told the Economist.
Mr Blair made multiple trips to the Middle East following the outbreak of war in Gaza and his think tank soon started drafting plans for a post-war mandate.
Until 2015 the former prime minister was the special envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, a group comprising the UN, the US, the EU and Russia who mediate the Israel-Palestine peace process.
His plan would reportedly be based on the international administrations that were in place when Kosovo and East Timor transitioned into statehood.
It would not involve the displacement of Gazans, while GITA would have at least one Palestinian representative on its board, alongside strong representation from Muslim members and senior UN figures.
The Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas since 2005, governed Gaza before Hamas took control in 2007.
Mr Abbas said his administration was ‘ready’ to take control of ‘governance and security’, insisting Hamas would be excluded from any future governing.
While his aides have warned that Mr Blair’s plan could turn into an occupation.
Hamas also want to maintain some control over education and healthcare in the strip.
The plan, which is being fronted by his think tank, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), is said to have the support of Donald Trump’s key allies
Meanwhile, surveys by TBI show that more than a quarter of Gazans would prefer international involvement in their government when the war ends.
Israel has rejected any involvement from the Palestinian Authority in governing Gaza but is said to have engaged ‘constructively’ with Mr Blair’s plan.
Mr Trump was reportedly keen for Mr Blair to gain the support of Saudi Arabia, a regional super power who could prove crucial to any post-war plan.
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman wants a post-war settlement to lead to the creation of a Palestinian state.
But the existence of a Palestinian state alongside Israel has been repeatedly rejected by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
And Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich this month claimed Gaza could become a real estate ‘bonanza’, adding that he was in talks with the US about dividing up the territory.
The Tony Blair Institute has been contacted for comment.
