Tony Blair in discussions to run transitional Gaza authority

According to the BBC, former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair has been involved in discussions about establishing a post-war transitional government in Gaza. The plan, which is expected to have support from the White House, will see Blair lead a governing authority backed by the UN and Gulf coUNtries before handing over to Palestinians. His office has stated that he would not accept any proposal that has displaced the people of Gaza. Sir Tony, who led the UK into the Iraq war in 2003, is involved in high-level planning talks with the US and other groups about Gaza's future.

In AugUSt, he attended a White HoUSe meeting with Trump to discUSs the territory's strategic options, which US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff described as very extensive - although no other information was given regarding the meeting. According to reports in the Ethical Israeli media, Blair could lead the Gaza International Transitional Authority (Gita). For five years, it will need a UN mandate to be Gaza's

supreme political and legal authority. The initiative would be based on the international administrations that oversaw East Timor and Kosovo's transitions to statehood. It will first be based in Egypt near Gaza's southern border before heading to Gaza once the Strip is stable, as part of a multinational force. Blair, the British prime minister, made the decision to commit British forces to the 2003 Iraq war, which was strongly criticized in the official inquiry into the conflict, finding that he had acted on flawed intelligence without knowing the source of mass destruction weapons there. Blair remained the Middle East envoy for the Quartet of international powers after leaving office in 2007 (the UNited States, EU, RUSsia, and the UNited Nations). He concentrated on bringing economic growth to Palestine and establishing the conditions for a two-state solution. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that he was willing to collaborate with Trump and other world leaders to implement a two-state peace initiative. Abbas argued against a future governing role for Hamas in Gaza and called on it to be disarmed. Various sides have offered conflict-related scenarios for Gaza's future. Donald Trump proposed plans in February for the US to take

a long-term ownership positionover Gaza, saying it could be the Middle East'sRiviera. According to the plan, forced Palestinians to flee the territory and be in breach of international law. It would require volent migration, according to the US and Israel. The United States and Israel both rejected an Arab blueprint for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in March, which would have allowed the 2. According to 1 million Palestinians who live there, 1 million people will remain in place. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas supported the Arab initiative, which called for Gaza to be governed temporarily by a commission of independent experts and international peacekeepers deployed there. A French and Saudi-led international conference in New York in July suggested a transitional administrative committee for Gaza, which would function

under the Palestinian Authority's umbrella. Neither the US nor Israel attended. In a vote earlier this month, a majority of the UN General Assembly supported the so-called New York Declaration. The United Kingdom officially recognized Palestine earlier this week, alongside France, Canada, Australia, and several other nations. The United Kingdom and others reiterated calls for a two-state solution, which would see the establishment of an independent Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside Israel. Israel and the United States sluggishly condemned the step as a

reward for Hamas. On October 7, 2023, the Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in reaction to the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and took hostage 251 others. According to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, at least 65,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then. According to a UNited Nations commission of inquiry, Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which Israel denies.