By Sarah Hooper

Copyright metro

Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza could involve Sir Tony Blair (Pictures: Getty)

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Gaza are continuing after Donald Trump unveiled a new 20-point plan that’s backed by Israel.

Trump’s plan states that, if both sides agree, there will be an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces to an agreed line, and the release of all the hostages, followed by the release of Palestinian prisoners and a surge of aid into Gaza.

But there’s a catch – Gaza will then be temporarily governed by a transitional committee of qualified Palestinian and international experts, with oversight from a ‘Board of Peace’, headed by none other than former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair.

This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority has undergone sufficient reform that it can take over.

Trump said: ‘One of the people who wants to be on the board is the UK former prime minister Tony Blair – good man, very good man.’

Blair’s potential involvement in a post-war Gaza has raised eyebrows. Could it work?

Blair’s history raises eyebrows – but his ‘unique skillset’ could prove invaluable

Blair served as Middle East envoy for the quartet of international powers (Picture: Getty)

Blair, who took the UK into the Iraq War in 2003, served as Middle East envoy for the quartet of international powers – the US, the EU, Russia and the UN – after leaving office.

Recently, he has been part of high-level planning talks with the US and other parties about the future of Gaza.

Responding to Monday’s announcement, Blair said Trump’s plan is ‘bold and intelligent’ and offers ‘the best chance’ of ending the war.

Dr Dafydd Townley, a member of the University of Portsmouth Military Education Team and senior teaching fellow in International Security, told Metro the pairing of Trump and Blair could be beneficial.

‘Blair has a history of working with those from the opposite end of the political spectrum, such as George W. Bush, with whom he had a very good relationship, along with his cabinet. So, you might expect that Blair is rather pragmatic in his approach to international relations,’ he said.

‘He still has a great deal of international respect. A lot of his tarnished reputation is within the UK. If you were looking at former prime ministers in this country who might be involved in this agreement, Blair is somebody who can reach across the international divide.’

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas met with Blair this summer (Picture: Getty)

Dr Townley points out that Blair may serve as a motivation for this proposed ‘Peace Board’ to take a more active role in rebuilding Gaza.

‘But Trump tends to lose patience with people, or at least he gets bored with people,’ Dr Townely said.

‘I think that the huge caveat of this is: can Blair keep Trump on his side? Or can Blair placate Trump’s disdain towards interventionist politics?

‘We’ve seen Trump flip-flop so often in terms of his positions. But I think Blair is savvy enough to be able to ride that wave of changing attitudes,’ he added.

‘The biggest issue for them is going to be: Is this a move towards a two-state region, or is this going to be essentially a Gazan/Palestinian authority within Israel?’

‘This is a challenging time for international politics. We are potentially in a transformative moment now. What’s gone on in Gaza has obviously divided many people, including our own nation. I’d like to think that we’re moving towards ensuring that the people of Gaza have the same rights as everybody else.’

Israeli strikes have continued to devastate Gaza (Picture: Getty)

Professor Yossi Mekelberg, Chatham House expert and Middle East commentator, told Metro: ‘Iraq is a part of Blair’s legacy. And whether he succeeded or not in his time as envoy for the quartet doesn’t automatically exclude him from being involved and contributing his vast experience and gravitas in this.

‘He is respected in the Gulf countries. It might make them more positive about contributing to bringing an end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza.’

Health Secretary Wes Streeting also said questions will be raised about whether Blair is the right person for the role, but highlighted the former prime minister’s experience brokering the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to end Northern Ireland’s Troubles.

Streeting told PA: ‘Now I know there’ll be some people who look at Tony Blair and his legacy in Iraq and will raise eyebrows to say the least about whether he’s the right man to be involved in this.

Rebuilding Gaza will take decades (Picture: AFP)

‘Tony Blair also had an incredible legacy in Northern Ireland of bringing together sworn enemies to build a peace that has lasted.

‘So if he can bring that skill set to bear in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the support of Israelis, Palestinians and other regional powers, then so much the better.’

Mekelberg suggested that if the plan is implemented, it could provide groundwork for reformation in both Israeli politics and the Palestinian Authority.

‘But there are sadly those who aren’t interested in ending the war,’ he added.

Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza in full

1. Gaza will be a deradicalised, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbours.
2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.
3. If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end. Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line to prepare for a hostage release. During this time, all military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for the complete staged withdrawal.
4. Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.
5. Once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after 7 October 2023, including all women and children detained in that context. For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans.
6. Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.
7. Upon acceptance of this agreement, full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip. At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the 19 January 2025 agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads.
8. Entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference from the two parties through the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party. Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions will be subject to the same mechanism implemented under 19 January 2025 agreement.
9. Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. This committee will be made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the “Board of Peace,” which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump, with other members and heads of state to be announced, including Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This body will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform programme, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. This body will call on the best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment.
10. A Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energise Gaza will be created by convening a panel of experts who have helped birth some of the thriving modern miracle cities in the Middle East. Many thoughtful investment proposals and exciting development ideas have been crafted by well-meaning international groups, and will be considered to synthesise the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments that will create jobs, opportunity, and hope for the future of Gaza.
11. A special economic zone will be established with preferred tariff and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.
12. No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.
13. Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt. There will be a process of demilitarisation of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning, and supported by an internationally funded buy-back and reintegration programme, all verified by the independent monitors. New Gaza will be fully committed to building a prosperous economy and to peaceful coexistence with their neighbours.
14. A guarantee will be provided by regional partners to ensure that Hamas and the factions comply with their obligations and that New Gaza poses no threat to its neighbours or its people.
15. The United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza. The ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this field. This force will be the long-term internal security solution. The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces. It is critical to prevent munitions from entering Gaza and to facilitate the rapid and secure flow of goods to rebuild and revitalise Gaza. A deconfliction mechanism will be agreed upon by the parties.
16. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. As the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will withdraw based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarisation that will be agreed upon between the IDF, ISF, the guarantors, and the United States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the IDF will progressively hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.
17. In the event Hamas delays or rejects this proposal, the above, including the scaled-up aid operation, will proceed in the terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF.
18. An interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence to try to change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasising the benefits that can be derived from peace.
19. While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform programme is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognise as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.
20. The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous co-existence.

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