Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is no longer being considered for a seat on a "board of peace" for Gaza chaired by US President Donald Trump. According to the Financial Times, Blair's name was dropped under pressure from several Arab and Muslim states.
The status of the "board of peace" remains unclear and while the idea has received wide coverage, few details have emerged about it. One person in Blair's office who spoke with the FT said that only "serving world leaders" will be on the so-called board, and a smaller executive board will function under it, which will include Blair, along with Jared Kushner, the US president's son-in-law and Trump adviser Steve Witkoff.
Neither Witkoff nor Kushner has visited Israel in recent weeks, with most of their overseas travel geared toward negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. Other elements of Trump's Gaza peace plan, like an international stabilization force, appear to have stalled.
Some regional Middle Eastern leaders had pushed for Blair's involvement, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. A source in the Egyptian presidency previously told Middle East Eye that Sisi was "highly unlikely to object to Blair assuming leadership of the proposed administrative council for Gaza".
However, many others raised concerns over Blair's record in the Middle East. Apart from his involvement in the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq, his tenure as Middle East Peace Envoy failed to achieve a lasting peace solution for Israel-Palestine and was widely criticized by both sides.
A person briefed on the discussions told the Financial Times that Blair could still have a position in the future governance structures for Gaza in spite of opposition. "He could still have a role in a different capacity and that seems likely," the person said. "The Americans like him and the Israelis like him."
Blair's involvement in the project was first suggested in September, with reports saying he was being considered to lead a transitional authority in the enclave.
Trump is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 29 to discuss the next steps of the Gaza ceasefire, which despite being officially established in October has seen hundreds of Israeli violations.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said that he will be discussing with Trump the second phase of a US plan to end the war in Gaza later this month.
Wide gaps remain on key issues yet to be discussed under Trump's plan to end the war, including Hamas disarmament, the governance of post-war Gaza and the composition and mandate of an international security force in the enclave.
"The Prime Minister will meet with President Trump on Monday December 29. They will discuss the future steps and phases, and the international stabilization force of the ceasefire plan," Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said in an online briefing to reporters.
Netanyahu's office said on December 1 that Trump had invited the prime minister to the White House. Israeli media have since reported that the two leaders may meet in Florida.
The Government Media Office in Gaza says Israel has carried out 738 violations in the 60 days since the ceasefire agreement was announced, accusing them of repeatedly breaching the ceasefire deal’s basic humanitarian provisions.
Officials said Israel has honored less than 40 percent of its humanitarian obligations, a failure they argue has deepened the crisis for Palestinians already living under a suffocating blockade and ongoing military pressure.
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