By Jacob Jaffa

Copyright thejc

Tony Blair has reportedly been given the green light by the Trump administration to “rally regional and international stakeholders” around his think tank’s plan for Gaza’s post-war future. Details of the proposal have apparently emerged for the first time, including the creation of a new governance structure in the Strip, according to the Times of Israel. Quoting “four sources familiar with the matter”, the outlet seemingly unveiled some of the key points of the plan developed by the Tony Blair Institute (TBI). Contrary to previous reports, the “day after” plan would not involve the mass displacement of Gazans, per the Times of Israel. Instead of the so-called “Trump Riviera”, which was outlined by the president earlier this year, the TBI scheme involves the creation of a Property Rights Preservation Unit, which would secure Gazans’ right to remain in the territory. “We do not have a plan to move the Gazan population out of Gaza. Gaza is for Gazans,” one source is reported to have said. The plan would also see the establishment of a Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), which would govern the Strip for an indeterminate period, after which control would be handed over to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Blair reportedly met PA President Mahmoud Abbas in July to hammer out the details of the transition, and Ramallah is said to have “engaged constructively” with the proposals. An Israeli delegation is reported to have been similarly accepting, though the Times of Israel’s source suggested that Prime Minister Netanyahu is still seen as a potential hurdle given his fierce public opposition to any PA involvement in Gaza’s future. Another stumbling block is understood to be Saudi Arabia, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman understood to have been angered by Israel’s strike against Hamas leaders on Qatari soil. One Arab diplomat reportedly told the outlet that Saudi and several other Arab states are making their support conditional on an “irreversible pathway to a future Palestinian state”, something which Jerusalem has publicly opposed. The report states that, while Trump gave Blair the go ahead, the former UK prime minister has a “two-week window” to get Riyadh on board. “We don’t have weeks, we have days,” the diplomat is reported to have added. As for Hamas, the group is set to play no role in the GITA and a draft of the Blair plan reportedly refers directly to its “disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration”. During a visit to Israel earlier in the week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to confirm this policy, saying: “Hamas can no longer continue to exist as an armed element.”