The notorious globalist and war hawk Tony Blair now wants to govern post-war Gaza for up to five years. According to WikiLeaks, the plan would give outside forces control over everything from laws to money flows.
Tony Blair, the architect behind Britain's participation in the Iraq War that cost hundreds of thousands of lives, now wants to lead an international transitional authority for Gaza after the war ends. According to people with insight into the Trump administration's peace plan, Blair could become chairman of a "Gaza International Transitional Authority".
The plan has been developed together with Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and is primarily financed by tech billionaire Larry Ellison. According to reports, Blair would lead a secretariat of 25 people that would administer Gaza for up to five years.
WikiLeaks comments on the development in sharp terms:
"A battle is brewing over who will run the wasteland. Into this vacuum steps Tony Blair, lined up to head a US-backed Gaza International Transitional Authority", the organization writes.
The organization describes the arrangement as something far more comprehensive than traditional post-war governance:
"This is not postwar governance in a conventional sense but a model of neo-trusteeship; external control over territory, law, and the flows of reconstruction, data, and capital".
WikiLeaks also points to the economic interests behind the plan and notes that Blair is backed by principal funder Larry Ellison and plans to lead the administration for up to five years.
Notorious war instigator
Tony Blair is one of modern times' most notorious British politicians. As Prime Minister from 1997-2007, he gave his full support to US invasions of both Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003.
Blair was accused of misleading the British Parliament and population about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction – weapons that were never found and whose existence is now questioned. The Chilcot Inquiry in 2016 established that Blair had exaggerated the threat from Saddam Hussein and that the British government had acted on inadequate or falsified intelligence information.
His close relationship with George W. Bush and unconditional support for American foreign policy earned him the nickname "Bush's poodle" from critics. Over one million demonstrated in London against the Iraq War in February 2003, but Blair still pushed through British participation.
Long-standing Israel support
Blair has been an outspoken Israel supporter over the years. As peace envoy for the Quartet – the UN, US, EU and Russia – he was responsible from 2007-2015 for promoting the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
During his time, however, illegal settlement construction in the West Bank continued and the Gaza blockade remained. Palestinian leaders and human rights organizations repeatedly accused him of favoring Israel and functioning as a partisan political actor instead of a neutral mediator.
During Israel's war in Gaza, which has so far killed over 65,000 Palestinians according to local health authorities, Blair has been working on his plan for international governance of the area. He met President Trump at the White House last month to present the proposal.
Resistance from the Arab world
European and Arab states have already expressed opposition to the idea of an international trusteeship for Gaza. They argue that such an arrangement would further marginalize Palestinians and lack legitimacy in the eyes of Gaza residents. Instead, they advocate that Gaza should be governed by a committee consisting of Palestinian technocrats with support from the Palestinian Authority, which currently administers parts of the West Bank.
Trump presented his Gaza plan to Arab leaders in New York this week. The proposal gives Palestinians limited administrative power, but real control would lie with an international board – potentially led by Tony Blair.
However, everything could collapse as early as Monday. That's when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Trump in Washington – and Netanyahu has already made his position clear: the Palestinian Authority will have no role in Gaza's future and Hamas must be completely eliminated.
Without Israeli approval, the plan cannot be implemented, which would stop both Trump's peace attempt and Blair's return to Middle East politics.
