Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is no longer being considered for a seat on U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed “board of peace” for Gaza, after several Arab and Muslim governments objected to the idea, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Blair had been the only figure publicly linked to the council when Trump announced his 20-point plan for Gaza’s postwar administration in late September. At the time, Trump described Blair as a strong candidate and said he admired him. Blair also signaled openness to serving on the body, which Trump intends to chair.
Regional officials, however, expressed concern over Blair’s involvement, citing longstanding distrust tied to his support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and fears that Palestinians might be sidelined in the new governance structure, sources told reporters. Trump himself acknowledged in October that he would need to confirm Blair was “acceptable” to all parties before any appointment could move forward.
Blair, who previously served as the Quartet’s Middle East envoy and has maintained deep involvement in regional diplomacy, has spent more than a year developing his own Gaza transition proposals through the Tony Blair Institute. He coordinated those ideas with Trump advisers, including Jared Kushner, who held the Middle East portfolio during Trump’s first term.
While Blair’s office declined to comment, an associate said he will not sit on the anticipated peace board, which is expected to include serving heads of state once finalized. Instead, Blair is expected to join a narrower executive committee working beneath that council. Trump adviser Steve Witkoff and Kushner are also expected to serve on the smaller body, along with senior officials from both Arab and Western governments, according to people briefed on the talks.
The executive committee is expected to be led by Nickolay Mladenov, a former UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and former Bulgarian defense minister. His prospective role aligns closely with responsibilities once associated with Blair, including helping to guide Gaza’s transition and coordinating between international actors and a yet-to-be-formed Palestinian technocratic committee.
Much of Trump’s Gaza strategy remains uncertain. Key questions persist regarding the composition of the Palestinian administrative team, the mandate and size of the international stabilization force expected to operate in Gaza, and how Hamas — responsible for the October 7, 2023 massacre — would be disarmed as the U.S. plan requires. Diplomats say no country has publicly committed forces or agreed to the proposed security structure.
Despite the delays, Trump has insisted the plan is progressing and has suggested a move to its next phase could be announced soon. Still, no members of the “board of peace” have been formally named more than two months after the plan’s unveiling, and Gaza remains divided between areas controlled by Hamas and those held by Israeli forces.