Tony Blair in talks to lead Gaza transitional authority

2025-09-26 09:04:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The BBC has learned that former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair has been involved in discussions about leading a transitional authority in Gaza if there is a ceasefire.

Sir Tony, who brought the UK into the Iraq War in 2003, has been in high-level planning talks with all parties to end the war and the post-conflict future for Palestinian territory, it is understood.

At the heart of the latest proposal discussed by US President Donald Trump and Arab leaders at the UN this week is the idea that Gaza would be run by a transitional body with UN and Gulf support, before returning to Palestinian control.

One proposal said to have gained support in Washington is for Sir Tony to lead that authority, although his office has said only that he would not support anything that displaced the people of Gaza.

Blair joined a White House meeting with Trump in August to discuss plans for post-war Gaza, which the US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, described as "very comprehensive" although little else was revealed about the meeting.

The former prime minister served as Middle East envoy for the Quartet of international powers (the US, EU, Russia and UN) for several years after leaving office in 2007. He focused on bringing economic development to Palestine and creating the conditions for a two-state solution.

As prime minister, he made the decision to commit British forces to the 2003 Iraq War, which was heavily criticised in the official inquiry into the conflict, which found that he had acted on faulty intelligence with no certainty about the production of weapons of mass destruction there.

Reports of discussions about his involvement in a transitional authority for Gaza come after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday he was ready to work with Trump and other world leaders to implement a two-state peace plan.

Abbas stressed his rejection of a future governing role for Hamas in Gaza and demanded that it disarm.

Earlier this week, the United Kingdom officially recognized the state of Palestine along with Canada and Australia. More countries followed suit, including France and Denmark, while Israel and the United States criticized the move as a reward for Hamas.

Sir Keir stressed that the diplomatic move meant Hamas could have "no future, no role in government, no role in security" and was "the opposite of their hateful vision".

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 65,419 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. A UN investigation has said Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies./CNA, translated by BBC