Tony Blair Eyed to Lead Post-War Gaza Authority in Ambitious, Trump-Backed Plan

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In the desolate, dust-choked landscape of a Gaza pulverized by nearly two years of brutal warfare, an unlikely and highly contentious battle is brewing over who will govern the wasteland. As Israeli forces conduct what they describe as a final campaign in the devastated territory, a host of international players are vying to shape the "day after." Perhaps the most keen among them, according to a detailed report in The Economist, is former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is at the center of an ambitious and powerfully-backed plan to establish a five-year international transitional authority over the strip, a proposal that has reportedly won the blessing of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The emergence of the Blair plan comes as a flurry of diplomatic activity surrounds the Gaza conflict. As detailed in The New York Times, President Trump has struck an increasingly optimistic tone, telling reporters on Friday, “It’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza,” one that he believes "will get the hostages back" and "will end the war."

This push is part of a broader, high-stakes effort to find a workable solution for a territory that The Economist describes as a "hellscape," where Israeli tanks have plowed cities to dust and devastated infrastructure. Since the war began in October 2023, more than a dozen governments and think-tanks have offered competing visions for Gaza's future, but the proposal involving Mr. Blair appears to have gained significant traction within the White House and among key regional players.

According to multiple sources involved with the plan who spoke to The Economist, the proposed body would be called the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA). It would seek a United Nations mandate to become Gaza’s “supreme political and legal authority” for a period of five years, after which control would be gradually handed over to a reformed Palestinian Authority.

The structure, as reported by The Economist and Agence France-Presse (AFP), would involve Mr. Blair potentially heading the authority, chairing a seven-person board that would oversee an executive body running the territory, supported by a secretariat of up to 25 people and funded by Gulf states. The authority would initially be based in el-Arish, an Egyptian city near Gaza's southern border, before moving into the strip once it is deemed stable, accompanied by a multinational force.

This proposal has attracted powerful backers, including Gulf leaders and, crucially, President Trump’s influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The Economist reported that Mr. Blair, Mr. Kushner, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff argued the case for the plan at a pivotal meeting with President Trump on August 27, with a key confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ron Dermer, joining by phone. Subsequently, on September 23, President Trump was said to have presented the idea to the leaders of Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, and five Arab countries, telling them, "Maybe we can end it [the Gaza war] right now."

While the plan is being driven by Washington, it faces a gauntlet of immense obstacles on the ground, most notably from the Israeli government.

The New York Times reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu has grown more defiant in the face of international pressure, including the recent recognition of a Palestinian state by multiple Western countries. Speaking at the UN on Friday to a largely empty hall after a mass walkout by diplomats, Mr. Netanyahu vowed to see his military campaign through to its conclusion.

"The final remnants of Hamas, are holed up in Gaza City," he said. "That is why Israel must finish the job." He harshly criticized the recognition of a Palestinian state, calling it "sheer madness" and has also made clear his opposition to the involvement of the Palestinian Authority, which he has called "corrupt to the core." Messianic ministers within his government, as The Economist noted, have even more extreme ambitions, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich eyeing "a real-estate bonanza" in a depopulated Gaza.

This sets the stage for a potential showdown between the U.S. President and the Israeli Prime Minister. In a significant pushback, President Trump stated on Thursday that he would not "allow" Israel to annex the West Bank, a long-held goal of the Israeli far-right.

"There's been enough. It's time to stop now," Mr. Trump said. This shift has led some analysts, like Ned Lazarus of George Washington University, who spoke to The New York Times, to believe that "Trump is probably the only one who can force Netanyahu off the course that he’s chosen."

For Palestinians, the proposal has been met with a complex mix of cautious relief and deep-seated suspicion. According to The Economist, the plan is a distinct improvement on a vision Mr. Trump floated in February, which involved exiling Gazans and building an AI-engineered "riviera" in their place. Surveys published by Mr. Blair’s team in May reportedly showed that over a quarter of Gazans favored some form of international rule.

However, the prospect of Mr. Blair himself at the helm is deeply problematic for many. As AFP and The Economist both highlighted, his legacy in the region is stained by his role in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, a decision an official UK inquiry found was based on flawed intelligence. Furthermore, during his eight years as the envoy for the Quartet, the international body tasked with implementing a road map to Palestinian statehood, Israel launched four major assaults on Gaza and tightened its grip on the Palestinian territories.

An adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking to The Economist, warned that the Blair plan could be "another occupation," a sentiment echoed by fears that a temporary mandate could last for decades, much like the 30-year British mandate in Palestine that began in 1917.

The Palestinian Authority, which considers itself the rightful government of a future Palestinian state, also presents a challenge. Mr. Abbas has the backing of Arab states to run Gaza after the war and has shown little tolerance for challengers, as evidenced by the jailing of a Palestinian businessman who suggested he could be Gaza's governor, according to The Economist.

Hamas, meanwhile, has indicated it might be willing to hand over its weapons and allow a technocratic government to administer the strip, but is unlikely to accept a plan that, as sources suggest, would bar its members from working in essential services like education and health.

Despite the hurdles, the plan is being taken seriously. Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, speaking to BBC Radio on Friday in a comment carried by AFP, said "I love" the idea, calling Mr. Blair a "wonderful person" capable of bearing the "huge" responsibility.

The detailed proposal, a version of which was viewed by The New York Times, even includes provisions for issuing "protected departure certificates" to ensure Gazans who wish to leave have the right to return, and for a multinational security force to conduct targeted raids to prevent the resurgence of armed groups.

As President Trump expresses growing confidence that a deal is near, the fate of Gaza hangs in the balance, caught between an audacious international plan championed by the White House and the deeply entrenched, bitter realities of one of the world's most intractable conflicts.