Egypt endorses Tony Blair as post-war Gaza leader

The Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, has signalled support for former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to lead the post-war Gaza Strip, the Middle East Eye plus agencies reported on October 21st.

This support came after Blair attended the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, which occurred days after the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10th.

Blair reportedly has a long-standing political relationship with the Egyptian government, as both parties prioritise the countering of political Islam. A source from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) said that Blair had previously “advised on how to handle the Muslim Brotherhood, opposition forces, and the media impact in order to stabilise Sisi’s government.”

An Egyptian presidential advisor said that “Blair’s re-emergence in the Gaza file is no coincidence, for he is acting like a modern-day British high commissioner.”

However, not everyone in Egypt is optimistic about Blair’s involvement, with Kamal Abu Eita, the former minister of labour and a senior official of the leftist al-Karama (Dignity) Party, saying that many Egyptians “do not trust Blair at the personal level, a man who is strongly connected with colonial heritage.”

The sidelining of the Palestinian Authority in the US peace plan has also caused controversy in Egypt, as the US-led plan envisions a committee overseen by US President Donald Trump and Blair. Concerns have been raised over the legitimacy and fairness of this administration overseeing the Palestinian enclave.

Blair is a controversial figure in the Middle East due to his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which critics believe violated international law. Many have also called for Blair’s prosecution for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity that took place in Iraq.

It was reported on October 1st that Blair was under consideration for a lead role in a post-war Gaza Strip, according to information leaked by Haaretz. The plan would see Gaza being governed by a board of billionaires and businesspeople, while highly vetted “neutral” Palestinian administrators would hold lower positions of authority.

On January 1st, 2024, it was reported that Blair denied allegations that he supported an Israeli initiative that would depopulate the Gaza Strip.

A similar sentiment has been echoed by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, who called for Gaza’s 2.2 million population to be expelled from the enclave to make way for real estate developments, saying that Gaza’s “waterfront property could be very valuable.”

Kushner and Blair participated in talks about the plan for post-war Gaza, as reported on August 28th.

Middle East Eye plus agencies, Haaretz, Maghrebi.org