Roya Pour Bagher
Over a century after British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour’s declaration initiated the settler-colonial project in Palestine, another British figure has emerged to salvage the sinking ship of Zionist Occupation. U.S. President Donald Trump is proposing that Tony Blair oversee the redevelopment of Palestinian land and its governance, specifically in the context of the “reconstruction” of Gaza. The same man played a significant role in the United States’ (and its coalition) invasion and occupation of Iraq, which led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people, destabilizing the state and plunging the region into chaos.
Trump’s 20-point plan involves a colonial supervisor donned in the language of peace and “technocratic” governance. The international transitional body, led by Trump – including Blair in a leading role – was initially set to oversee the transfer of authority from Hamas to a “reformed” (further imperialist-managed) Palestinian Authority. However, Hamas demanded that the condition be changed to the authority being transitioned to a body chosen by the people of Gaza themselves. Nevertheless, the question remains: How democratic and representative will the election process be under Blair’s supervision? His abhorrent record in Iraq and his previous role as a Middle East envoy provide a clear blueprint for what can be expected: the advancement of U.S.-Israeli interests under the guise of “peace” and “development” and at the expense of Palestinian self-determination.
Ironically, the imperialist management that claims to champion democracy is spitting in the face of democratic principles every step of the way. Hamas remains the true advocate for democratic rule of law, promoting self-determination for the Palestinian people.
To understand this foreshadowing, let us revisit Blair’s significant contributions to the criminal invasion and occupation of Iraq. As prime minister of the UK, Tony Blair made an unwavering commitment to then U.S. President George W. Bush, stating, “With you, whatever,” in a confidential letter months before the invasion of Iraq began. This decision bypassed formal cabinet scrutiny and democratic accountability.
More importantly, Blair vehemently backed the ‘weapons of mass destruction’ false narrative that created the conditions for public approval of the invasion. According to the Chilcot report, the conclusions Blair presented about intelligence on Iraq’s alleged WMDs heavily reflected his own beliefs and goals more than underlying facts. His presentation, in turn, distorted the actual findings. In other words, the invasion was based on a flawed and, in the opinion of many, deliberately misleading assessment.
During the invasion, Blair sent thousands of British troops to assist the United States in destabilizing Iraq. Hundreds of Iraqis detained by British forces during the war have reported being subjected to torture, including beatings, sleep deprivation, and sexual abuse. The outcome, as aforementioned, was that hundreds of thousands were killed, the grounds for the rise of Takfiri terrorists were prepared, and an overarching instability was seeded in the country, which infringes on the country’s sovereignty to this day. These are the consequences of what Blair championed almost 20 years ago.
Blair’s political vision for Western Asia is that of ongoing occupation, destabilization, and de-development. This is the exact vision Trump has for the region, which creates the conditions for Zionist colonial advancement, strengthening the United States’ grip on the region. Thus, Blair is “qualified,” just not for the reason he is being marketed for. Blair will not bring peace and development; he will bring subjugation and ethnic cleansing.
One must also consider the political and financial ecosystem surrounding Blair. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change received massive funding from Zionist tech billionaire Larry Ellison, who is regarded as a close friend of Benjamin Netanyahu and a major funder of the Israeli Occupation Forces. He has a long-standing relationship with Michael Levy, a prominent figure in the “Labour Friends of Israel” network, suggesting a deep and long-standing alignment with Zionist lobby groups. It is also worth noting that, according to a Financial Times report, two staff members of his institute collaborated on a project for postwar Gaza, including the “Trump Riviera” and a manufacturing zone named after Elon Musk. Thus, it is safe to say where Blair’s allegiance lies – Western encroachment and pillaging while denying Palestinians the right to sovereignty and peace.
Regarding his tenure as the Quartet’s representative—a 2002 diplomatic group consisting of the UN, the U.S., the EU, and Russia aimed at mediating peace in the region—from 2007 to 2015, Blair was accused by Palestinian officials and critics of doing little to halt the expansion of Israeli settlements and of taking the Zionist entity’s side. The former Palestinian negotiator, Mohammad Shtayyeh, stated after Blair’s resignation that Israel used him to justify its occupation.
Given Blair’s criminal legacy, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine have all rejected “foreign guardianship” over Gaza. Therefore, his actual involvement is highly contested. Nevertheless, should Tony Blair assume the roles outlined for him, some of what we can expect are as follows:
Firstly, the most immediate danger is the exclusion of Hamas and other political factions in Gaza. During this time, Blair is supposed to collaborate with donor countries, aid organizations, and regional governments to support “reconstruction” and “stabilization.” While the Board of Peace’s official mandate focuses on overseeing Gaza’s redevelopment and governance, its core mission of reconstruction would be essentially undermined by any violation of the ceasefire agreement. Furthermore, should violations hinder the Board’s reconstruction efforts, its silence would be complicity. However, any breach of the ceasefire agreement by the Israeli regime will likely be ignored, as ongoing Israeli breaches already suggest. The clearest precedent for this is the constant Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, which have been ignored by the American intermediaries responsible for ensuring compliance. In Lebanon, over 4,500 violations have been cited. Civilians, including children, have been killed in such attacks. Yet, the U.S. has not taken any action to stop those Israeli violations. And despite Trump’s claims of a halt to Israeli attacks on Gaza days after his ceasefire proposal, the Israeli strikes persisted, killing and injuring civilians, including children. If Trump not only could not stop Israeli attacks but also chose to portray the situation as the complete opposite of reality, how can anyone expect him or the so-called “Board of Peace,” which includes Tony Blair, to be capable of, or even willing to, ensuring a cessation of hostilities?
The “path to (Palestinian) statehood” is a hollow promise from imperialist mouths. Blair’s history and the plan’s structure suggest that any statehood would be undermined. As UN experts have warned, Palestinian self-determination is subject to vague preconditions. With the Israeli regime expected to maintain overarching ‘security control’ and an international force handling internal security, the plan effectively denies genuine Palestinian sovereignty.
The proposed economic plans, particularly the “international investment push” mentioned in the 20-point plan, sound like another way of framing Trump’s “Gaza Riviera.” Such projects are not about building an independent Palestinian economy, but rather reek of dependency on the U.S. and its allies. Ultimately, it is about ensuring the establishment of an entity that poses no threat to the Zionist entity or the U.S.; a continuation of a long history of using economic measures to enforce political control, made all the easier by the presence of a figure like Tony Blair.
Tony Blair is part of a repackaged colonial agenda. His legacy speaks of tragedies inflicted on West Asia as part of imperial policy. True peace and justice cannot be achieved by the architects of destruction and the supervisors of occupation. The only path to justice for Palestinians is management by Palestinians themselves. They do not need foreign “supervision”; they have the right to manage their own land, elect their own authorities, and develop their own cities.
Roya Pour Bagher is a news writer based in Tehran, Iran.
