When Tony Blair published a how-to book for newly elected leaders last year, one of his tips was to tend to their legacies while still in office — something he said he neglected in his 10 years as Britain’s prime minister.
Now, Mr. Blair is seizing another chance to define his legacy, in a region that has preoccupied, even tormented, him since he backed George W. Bush’s war in Iraq 22 years ago. With a central role in President Trump’s new plan to end the war in Gaza, Mr. Blair could reshape a narrative that was tarnished by Iraq and unredeemed by a frustrating stint as a Middle East peacemaker after he left 10 Downing Street.
His odds of success are perilously slim. Mr. Trump’s perseverance as a peacemaker is unpredictable. If Mr. Blair thrusts himself into Gaza as a kind of colonial viceroy, critics warn that it will only inflame tensions. Far from ending the war, he could find himself stuck in the middle of another intractable conflict.
Much of Mr. Trump’s plan reflects ideas in Mr. Blair’s own 21-page blueprint for peace in Gaza, including a high-level transitional board, on which Mr. Blair will serve as a member. He drew up the plan over the past several months and had been a candidate for a leadership role, according to people familiar with the process. But in a last-minute twist, Mr. Trump took the chairman’s seat.
“Good man, very good man,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Blair on Monday, after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. He said nothing about Mr. Blair’s responsibilities or his contributions to the plan.
Still, if the plan gains traction — a major if, given the unremitting hostility between Israel and Hamas — Mr. Blair would be one of those most responsible for delivering it. It is a striking turn for a 72-year-old retired politician, who has since built a lucrative business advising governments, banks and other clients on issues like the transformative power of A.I., and who remains a polarizing figure on Middle East issues.
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