Islam Times - Blair Exits Trump Gaza Board, Eyes Smaller Committee

Islam Times - Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has been removed from consideration for US President Donald Trump’s proposed colonial-style “board of peace” in Gaza, the Financial Times revealed, following objections raised by several Arab and Muslim states, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Blair had been the only named individual for the board when Trump announced his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. At the time, Trump claimed Blair was a “very good man,” while Blair called the plan “bold and intelligent,” expressing his willingness to serve under Trump’s leadership.

However, Blair's role in the US-led invasion of Iraq has garnered significant opposition among Arab and Muslim countries. Moreover, the initiative completely alienated Palestinians and their right to governance and self-determination.

Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, told The Washington Post in September after the plot was revealed, “We’ve been under British colonialism already. He [Blair] has a negative reputation here. If you mention Tony Blair, the first thing people mention is the Iraq war.”

However, the "Israeli" Broadcasting Corporation [KAN] reported on December 8 that "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held a clandestine meeting with Blair to discuss a new foreign-administered framework for governing the Gaza Strip.

KAN, citing informed sources, revealed that Blair met Netanyahu in the occupied territories last week and floated an idea involving a “pilot scheme” in which the Palestinian Authority [PA] would assume limited control over selected areas of Gaza.

If deemed successful, the arrangement would become permanent, the report said. "Israeli" sources told KAN that Blair’s initiative “was not dismissed outright” by the "Israeli" entity.

According to FT, Blair’s office declined to comment on the developments, but an ally alleged that his exclusion from the board was not due to regional opposition. Instead, the source claimed the board would be composed of serving world leaders, and Blair, as a former leader, did not meet the criteria.

According to the same source, Blair is now expected to join the executive committee alongside Trump advisor Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy. The committee is anticipated to include senior officials from both Arab and Western countries.

After leaving office in 2007, Blair served as a Middle East envoy and has continued to work on Gaza-related efforts through the Tony Blair Institute. For over a year, Blair coordinated with Kushner to develop plans for postwar governance in Gaza.

While Blair’s direct involvement on the “board of peace” appears to have ended, sources suggest he may still play a role within the future administrative framework. “He could still have a role in a different capacity and that seems likely,” said a person familiar with the matter. “The Americans like him and the 'Israelis' like him.”

In the interim, a separate executive committee is being established to support the governance transition in Gaza. According to sources, the committee will be chaired by Nickolay Mladenov, former UN envoy and Bulgarian defense minister.

Mladenov, who currently heads the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, is expected to lead the executive body coordinating between the “board of peace” and a Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing day-to-day affairs in Gaza.

His role bears similarities to what had initially been proposed for Blair, acting as a "supreme executive" to oversee the postwar transition.

Mladenov previously served as the UN special envoy for the Middle East from 2015 to 2020 and often mediated between "Israel" and the Resistance.