The White House is supporting a plan to have Sir Tony Blair lead a temporary administration to govern the Gaza Strip, according to reports.
The former prime minister would lead a supervisory body called the Gaza International Transitional Authority (Gita), which would serve as the “supreme political and legal authority” for up to five years, and is understood to exclude the Palestinian Authority.
Gita could be based in Arish, the capital of an Egyptian province near the southern border of Gaza, according to the proposal. The board would then enter the strip, supported by an Arab multinational force endorsed by the United Nations.
The plan, modelled on strategies employed in the transitions to statehood of Timor-Leste and Kosovo, would envision “the eventual unifying of all the Palestinian territory under the PA”.
Palestinians would not be made to leave the region as feared by human rights groups, according to the report.
The seven-person board, if approved, would oversee an executive board running the territory with Sir Tony leading a secretariat of up to 25 people.
According to Israeli media, an international force would be stationed across Gaza’s borders to prevent the regrouping of Hamas. A source told Haaretz, that the plan is “taking shape” and has the full support of US President Donald Trump, with Israeli officials not rejecting it yet.
The source said that a timetable for the PA’s return to governance had not been specified, sparking concerns.
“There is concern that [Israeli prime minister] Netanyahu will take advantage of this ambiguity to sabotage the PA’s involvement in Gaza,” the source continued. Diplomats have said his role is being considered but is “not a done deal”, according to the BBC.
Sir Tony’s involvement will be controversial, and his rumoured role in recent talks has sparked backlash due to his legacy with the widely criticised British and American invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Last month, he was part of a meeting with President Trump to discuss Israel’s war in Gaza and post-war plans for the Palestinian territory.
In July, reports said that the Tony Blair Institute participated in a project to develop the plan. The think tank said its talks with different groups on post-war reconstruction of Gaza had not included the idea of the forcible relocation of people from the area.
The Blair plan is said to be anchored on the dismantling of Hamas and a diminished role for the PA. This was roundly rejected by Hamas officials, who previously told The Independent they had not seen the proposal.
“No party has the right to dismantle any Palestinian faction. The one that needs to be dismantled is the occupation,” the official said anonymously, adding that Palestinians would not accept a deal they had not voted on or been consulted on.
“We will not allow the Palestinians to have anything dictated to them against their will,” he said.
The plan may also be unpopular with far-right ministers, including finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who previously said that he was in talks with the US about dividing the territory up, promising a “real-estate bonanza”.
More than 65,000 have been killed in Gaza, including over 20,000 children, according to local officials. A recent UN investigation concluded that Israel is committing genocide. Israel has called the claims “false” and “distorted”.
