Tony Blair will not hold a leading position on Gaza’s peace council following objections from Arab states over his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to a report.
The former Labour prime minister had been closely linked to Donald Trump’s plan to rebuild the war-torn Palestinian enclave, unveiled in September.
But Sir Tony, 72, has faced fierce backlash from regional leaders, who harbour deep resentment over his decision to take Britain into the US-led invasion of Iraq to depose tyrant Saddam Hussein.
The Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the discussions, reported that he was quietly being dropped from consideration for a top role, but could still hold a position on the sidelines.
Sir Tony was the only person who had been named as a frontrunner to sit on Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ so far. Trump had said in October that he liked the former PM, but still needed to be sure that he had the backing of other states involved in the peace process.
“I’ve always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he’s an acceptable choice to everybody,” he said at the time, adding: “I want to find out that Tony would be popular with all because I just don’t know that.”
A source told the FT that it was likely Sir Tony would have “a role in a different capacity” instead, just not as central as planned and probably not on the peace board.
“The Americans like him and the Israelis like him” but Arab and Muslim leaders in the region have reservations, the source suggested.
It was unclear which specific leaders had raised objections to Sir Tony’s prospective involvement. Earlier this year, there was furious public and political opposition in Egypt to the prospect of him visiting the country, let alone having a role in Gaza’s future.
Kamal Abu Eita, a former minister, told The New Arab: “We do not trust Blair at the personal level, a man who is strongly connected with colonial heritage. Egyptians are opposed to all forms of occupation of Gaza, a territory that has to be ruled by its own people only.”
His possible allies have also had muted involvement in the peace process. The UAE, which once allegedly paid the former PM as a consultant while he was working as a peace envoy in the region, has ruled out involvement in implementing a Gaza stabilisation force for now.
Blair remains controversial at home and in the Middle East over the decision to take Britain into the US-led invasion of Iraq to depose tyrant Saddam Hussein.
Huge rallies formed in London, Amman, Beirut and Cairo in 2003 to protest British involvement as his popularity sank to -20 points at home.
Sir John Chilcot’s report into the invasion later concluded that the prime minister had overstated the threat posed by Hussein and the invasion was not the “last resort” presented to the public and parliament, deepening his unpopularity.
Iraq’s neighbours suffered from the deep insecurity left in Iraq after the ousting of Saddam, as violent jihadist groups like ISIS emerged in the power vacuum and regional powers tussled for influence.
Sir Tony left politics in 2007 as his popularity at home crumbled and took a position as representative to the Quartet, an international body overseeing the peace process between Israel and Palestine.
He stayed in the position until 2015, despite strong accusations of pro-Israel bias by Palestinian officials. His Institute for Global Change later came under fire, too, as it emerged that it continued to advise the Saudi government after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
