The Independent: What do we know about Tony Blair’s plan for managing Gaza after the war?
The Independent newspaper, published an article detailing the so-called “Tony Blair Plan” for managing Gaza after the war.
The British newspaper reported that US President Donald Trump encouraged former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to lead regional efforts to support the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction plan through a transitional authority.
According to sources familiar with the details of the proposal, the underlying principle is “Gaza for the people of Gaza,” with any displacement of the population rejected, according to the article.
The Israeli media outlets reported that the plan focuses on establishing a transitional body known as the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), formed pursuant to a UN Security Council resolution.
The body consists of a board of directors of seven to ten members, including at least one Palestinian, a senior UN official, international financial experts, and strong representation from Muslim members.
The plan proposes that this body will assume management of the Gaza Strip for a transitional period of up to five years, before power is gradually handed over to the Palestinian Authority.
The British newspaper noted that it learned that this new proposal could face opposition from relevant parties, such as Hamas and Jordan, even before it was officially informed of further details.
The plan also includes the establishment of a property rights protection unit, aimed at ensuring that “any voluntary departure of Gaza residents doesn’t affect their right of return or their ownership of property,” according to leaked documents.
It also includes the formation of a multinational international force under an international mandate, tasked with protecting the borders, preventing the return of armed groups, securing humanitarian operations, and supporting—but not replacing—law enforcement agencies in Gaza.
The Independent newspaper understands that Hamas won’t be part of any transitional or future government in Gaza, a claim rejected by a Hamas official, who told The Independent: “No party has the right to dismantle any Palestinian faction… The party that must be dismantled is the occupation,” adding: “We’ll not allow anything to be imposed on the Palestinians against their will”.
For his part, Omar Awadallah, the Palestinian Authority’s deputy foreign minister, told The Independent that they had not yet seen Blair’s draft plan, but added: “We’re prepared to engage in good faith, but Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and we won’t accept any plan that treats it as a real estate or financial investment for foreign companies without the presence of Palestinians”.
Blair also faces opposition from hardline Israeli ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said at a conference in Israel that he was in talks with the United States about dividing Gaza, adding that Israel had “paid a lot” in the war and needed “a percentage of the land sales”.
