Former UK PM seeks to run transitional Gaza authority: Reports
WASHINGTON
The White House is backing a plan that could place former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair at the helm of a temporary governing authority in the war-torn Gaza Strip amid heightened Israeli attacks, several British and Israeli media reports have said.
Blair will lead a body known as the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), tasked with acting as Gaza’s “supreme political and legal authority” for up to five years, according to the reports.
Modeled on international administrations that guided East Timor and Kosovo through their transitions to statehood, the proposal envisages an initial headquarters in el-Arish, an Egyptian city near Gaza’s southern border, before the administration moves into the territory with the support of a U.N.-endorsed multinational force, primarily composed of Arab nations.
The plan aims for the eventual reunification of Palestinian territories under the Palestinian Authority.
Officials emphasized that the plan would not involve the forced displacement of the population, addressing concerns raised by previous proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump that envisioned the territory as a “Gaza Riviera.”
Blair, who resigned as U.K. premier in 2007 and later served as Middle East envoy for the Quartet of international powers, has been involved in high-level planning talks with U.S. officials, Gulf leaders and other international actors.
His office confirmed that he would not endorse any plan that required the removal of Gaza residents. Blair’s experience in the region, coupled with his longstanding ties with Gulf leaders, is seen as a potential stabilizing factor.
Yet, his past — including his support for the 2003 Iraq War and his role in Palestinian negotiations — makes his involvement highly controversial, particularly among Palestinians who view him as a figure who impeded their statehood ambitions.
Under the plan, Blair would oversee a secretariat of up to 25 people and chair a seven-member board managing GITA’s executive functions.
Western diplomats have indicated that the duration of the administration might be shortened to two years, though no definitive timeline has been set.
The lack of clarity on the transfer of authority back to the Palestinian Authority, combined with Blair’s involvement, could complicate support from Palestinian and Arab leaders, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly reassured by the arrangement.
News of Blair’s potential role comes shortly after the U.N. General Assembly endorsed a separate initiative, the New York Declaration, which proposes a one-year technocratic administration in Gaza before returning governance to a reformed Palestinian Authority, following elections and constitutional reforms.
The White House-backed plan, however, appears to offer a more extended and flexible timeline, potentially tied to ceasefire agreements and a comprehensive hostage resolution under the Trump administration’s broader Middle East peace framework.
