Tony Blair ‘honoured’ to be part of Donald Trump’s efforts to rebuild Gaza
The former prime minister was listed alongside high-profile Trump administration officials.
Sir Tony Blair has said he is “honoured” to be named as part of a team that will be integral to Donald Trump’s efforts to rebuild Gaza.
The former prime minister was listed alongside high-profile Trump administration officials as part of a “founding executive board” to lead long-term peace efforts in the Middle East, published by the White House on Friday.
This will be the operational arm of the Board of Peace, which will be chaired by Mr Trump and other serving world leaders who have not yet been named.
The US president called it “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place” ahead of the announcement.
The officials listed included US secretary of state Marco Rubio, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Former UN special envoy Nickolay Mladenov was also named to the board, alongside billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank president Ajay Banga and US deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
Sir Tony said in a statement: “I thank President Trump for his leadership in establishing the Board of Peace and am honoured to be appointed to its executive board.
“It’s been a real privilege to work with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and their outstanding team.
“I look forward to working with them and other colleagues in line with the president’s vision to promote peace and prosperity.”
He said the president’s 20-point plan for Gaza was an “extraordinary achievement” and that implementing it will take “enormous commitment and hard work”.
The White House said the founding executive board will help “operationalise the Board of Peace’s vision” and suggested the individual members would each hold specialist portfolios to help “stabilisation” efforts in Gaza.
Sir Tony said the appointment this week of the national committee for the administration of Gaza (Ncag), a separate 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee, was also a “massive step forward”.
He said: “It gives hope to people in Gaza that they can have a future different from the past and to the Israelis that they may have a neighbour which does not threaten its security.
“For Gaza and its people, we want a Gaza which does not reconstruct Gaza as it was but as it could and should be.
“And for the Israelis we want to ensure that the horrific events of October 7 2023 are never repeated.
“Both myself personally and my institute will continue to work and commit for this outcome and again I thank President Trump for his leadership which made this possible.”
The former Labour prime minister also appeared on a longer list of names as part of a separate “Gaza executive board”, the purpose of which appears to be advising a newly established interim government for the region.
Mr Trump said the US was launching “phase two” of its 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict, which Mr Witkoff said would see the focus shift beyond a ceasefire and towards demilitarisation, technocratic governance and reconstruction.
