Tony Blair is reportedly ready to lead Gaza’s interim government

Tony Blair appears to have offered to take over Gaza’s interim governing body after presenting his plans to US President Donald Trump last month.

The 72-year-old Blair is said to have the support of senior figures close to Trump and would oversee the proposed Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA). This authority could become the region’s “highest political and legal authority” for up to five years.

Blair is working with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on a plan to be implemented following a ceasefire in Gaza. This plan was discussed in a private meeting at the White House at the end of August with Trump and his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

The Daily Telegraph reported that these two individuals are the biggest supporters of Blair’s Gaza plan.

At the August 27 meeting with the US president at the White House, Kushner and Witkoff argued that the former Labour Party leader could run an interim administration in Gaza.

Sources told The Economist that Blair is “ready to sacrifice his time” to end the war and help govern Gaza.

This plan involves Blair managing a 25-person secretariat and chairing a seven-member board to oversee the executive body governing the region.

The plan is said to be modeled on the authorities that oversaw the statehood processes of East Timor and Kosovo.

According to the proposal, GITA will begin operations in the Egyptian city of Arish in the Sinai, near Gaza’s southern border, and will eventually move into the region accompanied by a UN-backed multinational force composed mainly of Arab countries.

The plan envisions the “eventual unification of all Palestinian territories under the Palestinian Authority.”

The governing board will include at least one Palestinian representative, senior UN officials, prominent international figures with business experience, and a “strong representation of Muslim members.”

During the August meeting at the White House, Trump gave Blair two weeks to secure regional support for his plan.

Trump was particularly keen for the former prime minister to gain the support of Saudi Arabia, as he viewed the country as crucial to the outcome of the post-war plan.

Witkoff presented a 21-point plan to Arab and Muslim leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York to end the war and establish a new governance structure in Gaza.

“We are hopeful, I would even say confident, that we can announce some kind of breakthrough in the coming days,” Witkoff said.

The leaders of seven Arab and Muslim countries expressed their support for Trump’s plan in a joint statement.

“We reiterate our commitment to cooperate with President Trump and emphasize the importance of his leadership to end the war and open horizons for a just and lasting peace,” the statement read.

Trump presented this plan, which he supports, to the leaders of Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, and five Arab countries at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

Under the plan, Gaza and the West Bank will be reunified before the Palestinian territories are eventually handed over to the Palestinian Authority, but the Palestinian Authority has not yet accepted the plan.

Advisors to Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas have warned that Blair’s plan could turn into an occupation.

Israel, meanwhile, has openly rejected any role for the Palestinian Authority in the governance of Gaza but has approached the plan “constructively.”

Right-wing finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said earlier this month that Gaza has the potential to become a real estate “bonanza” and claimed he has been in discussions with US officials about how the war-torn territory will be divided.