Tony Blair 'Dropped' From Donald Trump's Gaza 'Board Of Peace'? Here's What We Know

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will not get a key role on Donald Trump's Gaza 'peace council' after several Arab and Muslim nations reportedly objected to his inclusion, according to reports.

Blair has been quietly dropped from consideration for the proposed advisory group or 'board of peace ', which Trump has said he would chair himself, according to The Financial Times (FT).

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Blair was the only name publicly mentioned for a possible role on the council when President Trump announced his 20-point plan to end the Israel–Hamas war in September. President Trump had praised Blair as a 'very good man.'

A month later, however, Trump said,“I've always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he's an acceptable choice to everybody.”

Why did Blair spark reactions from the Arab World?

However, Blair's name for the role sparked reactions from Arab and Muslim countries.

While Blair's supporters said he had helped end years of conflict in Northern Ireland, his critics argued that he did very little in his role as the representative of the“Quartet” - the UN, EU, US and Russia - which was meant to push for peace in the Middle East, according to a report in The Guardian

Many people across the Arab world view Blair with suspicion and anger because of his support for the US-led Iraq invasion in 2003.

Reports about Blair's withdrawal come despite claims that he had an unpublicized meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late November to discuss plans, according to a report in The Times of Israel.

Could play a 'less central' role

The Financial Times report suggests, quoting sources, that Blair could still play a less central role in the proposed plan. Blair's office has not yet commented on the reports.

In another report, Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and former White House adviser, and Steve Witkoff, US Middle East envoy, will help oversee the post-war Gaza. Both men helped negotiate the recent ceasefire and will now assume key roles in rebuilding the territory, according to the report.

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Under the US plan, which Trump is expected to announce before Christmas, Kushner and Witkoff would be on the executive board of the board that will manage Gaza's reconstruction, The Telegraph reports. This board will be chaired by Trump and comprises Arab and European leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

What is Trump's Gaza 'Board of Peace'?

In September, US President Donald Trump unveiled this 20-point peace plan for Gaza and called for establishing an international oversight body, calling it the 'board of peace '.

Trump made the announcement at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, stating that the oversight body will be headed by him and Blair.

The 'board of peace', also called the 'peace council', is part of Trump's plan and is meant to be an international transitional authority to govern and rebuild Gaza in the aftermath of war. Under the plan, Gaza's daily governance would be handled by a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, while the Peace Council would oversee funding, reconstruction, security and administration until a Palestinian government is ready to take over.

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Last month, the United Nations Security Counci voted 13-0 to endorse President Trump's 20-point plan for peace in Gaza.

I've always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he's an acceptable choice to everybody.

Trump's Gaza 'peace council' – which also had input from Tony Blair's Institute for Global Change (TGI) - also faced criticism because it did not give a clear timeline for creating a Palestinian state. It also suggested that Gaza should be governed under a different system from the West Bank, raising concerns that the two Palestinian regions might no longer be seen as one unified entity.

(With agency inputs)

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