MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tony Blair eyed for leading role in Trump's Gaza peace plan

Blair has a history in Middle East diplomacy, having served as the Middle East envoy for the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) until 2015

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair resurfaced onto the international political arena after being tapped to play an oversight role in US President Donald Trump's peace plan for the Gaza Strip.

The Republican leader has announced a 20-point plan aimed at ending the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas, and he has named former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair as the first member of a so-called “Board of Peace,” tasked with overseeing the temporary governance of Gaza.

The proposal, which Hamas officials are reportedly studying, calls for an immediate end to the war, the return of all Israeli hostages within 72 hours in exchange for 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazan detainees, and the immediate dispatch of “full aid.”

The plan envisions a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee responsible for day-to-day services. This committee will be supervised by the “Board of Peace,” which will be chaired by President Trump and include leaders like Blair. The blueprint explicitly states that Hamas will have no role in the governance of Gaza. The project leaves the door open to a potential Palestinian state, but only if the Palestinian Authority implements sweeping reforms.

Blair is the first publicly named member of the Board of Peace, which will oversee the transition. He praised the plan as “bold and intelligent,” stating it offers the “best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering” and thanking Trump for his commitment.

However, Blair's involvement has “raised some eyebrows” due to his decision to take the UK into the Iraq War in 2003. However, supporters noted his “considerable skills” demonstrated in brokering the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.

Blair has a history in Middle East diplomacy, having served as the Middle East envoy for the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) until 2015, with a focus on economic development and the two-state solution.