Sir Tony Blair 'honoured' to be part of Donald Trump's efforts to rebuild Gaza
The former prime minister has been named on a "founding executive board" alongside several high-profile White House figures.
Saturday 17 January 2026 18:44, UK
Sir Tony Blair has said he is "honoured" to be appointed as part of a team that will be key to Donald Trump's plan to rebuild Gaza.
The former Labour prime minister has been listed by the White House on a "founding executive board" to lead long-term Middle East peace efforts, along with high-profile Trump administration officials.
This will be the operational arm of the Board of Peace, which will be chaired by President Trump who called it the "greatest and most prestigious board ever assembled" ahead of the announcement.
Under the US president's peace plan, the territory will be governed by an apolitical, transitional Palestinian government, monitored by a Board of Peace.
Mr Trump said the US was launching "phase two" of its 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict, which his special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said would see the focus shift beyond a ceasefire and towards demilitarisation, technocratic governance and reconstruction.
Sir Tony called the 20-point plan "an extraordinary achievement" and "something many thought could not happen".
"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."
Among the other figures on the "founding executive board" will be Mr Witkoff, Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who both helped negotiate the peace plan, and US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
The other members named are billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank president Ajay Banga, and US deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
In a statement, the White House said each would oversee a "defined portfolio critical to Gaza's stabilisation and long-term success".
Mr Trump was effusive about the membership of the Board of Peace in a post on Truth Social.
He wrote: "I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place."
Sir Tony, Mr Rubio, and Mr Kushner were also named among the 11 members of a "Gaza executive board", the purpose of which appears to be advising a newly set up interim government for Gaza.
That interim authority, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), will be headed up by Dr Ali Sha'ath, described by the Trump administration as "a widely respected technocratic leader".
In this role, the White House said, he will "oversee the restoration of core public services, the rebuilding of civil institutions, and the stabilisation of daily life in Gaza, while laying the foundation for long-term, self-sustaining governance".
Also named was Nickolay Mladenov, an executive board member and former UN Middle East envoy, who has been appointed High Representative for Gaza, acting as the "on-the-ground link between the Board of Peace and the NCAG", according to the announcement.
While Major General Jasper Jeffers will command an "International Stabilisation Force", responsible for security operations, demilitarisation, and safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials, the White House said.
Blair's legacy from Iraq still runs deep
When Blair's name was first floated by Trump's team, the reaction within the Arab world was particularly negative.
Despite having a relationship, at leader level, with gulf Arab nations which was seen as important, Blair's legacy from Iraq still runs deep, particularly on the Arab street.
"Palestinians in general don't see Mr Blair as anything else than a war criminal and a mercenary, and do not expect anything positive coming out from his involvement in a region he has already damaged," one source close to the Palestinian Authority leadership told me late last year.
The choice of Nickolay Mladenov for High Representative has received a more positive reaction.
Mladenov is a former Bulgarian foreign minister and defence minister. He served as the UN special envoy to the Middle East between 2015 and 2020.
Trump has asked him to oversee the running of the Strip on the ground.
Critically, he is respected by both the Palestinians and the Israelis - who are usually particularly sceptical of anyone associated with the UN.
During his time in Jerusalem, he was seen as a strong diplomat who left a good impression with key figures on both sides.
In 2021, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas awarded Mladenov the Grand Star of the Order of Jerusalem in recognition of his work to further peace in the region.
His appointment will be seen as a victory for the Palestinian side who were so critical of Blair and worried that the Trump appointments would all lean only to the Israeli side.
Mladenov also had a key regional contribution in helping to mold Trump's Abraham Accords - the diplomatic normalisation process between Israel and Arab countries.
He has close ties with the Emiratis which will prove useful and important for the redevelopment of Gaza.
One Arab source expressed concern that Mladenov has rarely openly criticised the Israelis, but added: "He understands international law and the limits for what he could do."
'Blair can be divisive figure in this region'
Speaking from Jerusalem, Paste BN Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons explained the details around the proposal, admitting there was some "confusion" around the "very complicated bureaucratic structure".
Mr Blair is the only member of the executive board who is not an American citizen.
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Describing the mood on the ground, Adam Parsons said: "There's been a lot of heat around Tony Blair, around this question of his reputation. And certainly, he can be a divisive figure in this region. A lot of people remember his decision to take the UK into the Iraq War.
"Others find the agreement is an extraordinary effort, bringing communities together. [Mr Blair] is a man who has spent years here… Within many countries in this region, he is seen to understand the transactional nature that unites some leaders here with the Trump administration.
"I would say at the moment there are plenty who are prepared to give him a crack."
Read more:
Analysis: Phase two of Gaza peace plan will be complicated
Palestinian embassy in London opens in 'historic moment'
In October 2023, Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on Israel.
The attack, which claimed the lives of some 1,200 people with 251 others taken hostage, was soon followed by an Israeli offensive on Gaza, which lasted two years and killed a further 70,000 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.
A fragile ceasefire came into effect in October, but Gaza continues to see outbursts of deadly violence, with Israel and Hamas both accusing each other of violating the peace.