Blair Tipped to Lead Transitional Gaza Authority Amid U.S.-Backed Plan
The White House is reportedly backing a proposal that could see former British Prime Minister Tony Blair head a temporary governing body in Gaza, as the war-torn territory reels from intensified Israeli strikes, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
According to British and Israeli media reports, Blair would lead the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), envisioned as Gaza’s “supreme political and legal authority” for up to five years. The body would first operate from el-Arish in Egypt before moving into Gaza, supported by a U.N.-mandated multinational force—largely Arab in composition.
The plan draws inspiration from past international administrations in East Timor and Kosovo and ultimately aims to reunify Palestinian territories under the Palestinian Authority. Officials stress it does not involve forced displacement of Gaza’s population, a concern raised by earlier U.S. proposals under Donald Trump.
Blair, who resigned as prime minister in 2007 and later served as the Middle East envoy for the Quartet, has reportedly engaged in high-level talks with U.S., Gulf, and regional leaders. His office has emphasized he would not support any plan requiring Gaza’s residents to leave.
Yet his candidacy is fraught with controversy. Blair’s backing of the Iraq War and his checkered record in Palestinian negotiations have made him deeply unpopular among many Palestinians, who accuse him of stalling their statehood aspirations.
The proposed authority would include a secretariat of 25 and a seven-member executive board. While diplomats suggest its mandate could be shortened to two years, uncertainty over the transition back to Palestinian hands—and Blair’s own polarizing history—could undermine regional support, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to be reassured by the idea.
