Tony Blair is 'honoured' to join Donald Trump's Gaza Board for Peace
Tony Blair is 'honoured' to join Donald Trump's Gaza Board of Peace, the former Prime Minister has said.Blair is to sit alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner as members of the 'Founding Executive Board'.Making up the rest of the group, which will be chaired by the US president, are Marc Rowan, the boss of US private equity firm Apollo, the World Bank's president Ajay Banga and Mr Trump's assistant for policy, Robert Gabriel.Responding to the announcement on Saturday, Blair, 72, thanked the President and described the opportunity as a 'real privilege'.He said: 'I thank President Trump for his leadership in establishing the Board of Peace and am honoured to be appointed to its Executive Board. 'It’s been a real privilege to work with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and their outstanding team. I look forward to working with them and other colleagues in line with the President’s vision to promote peace and prosperity.'Blair went on to praise Trump's peace plan, which he dubbed an 'extraordinary achievement' that he said ended the conflict.'The war did end and the hostages (bar one, Rani Gvili whose release will continue to be a priority) released,' the former Labour leader said. The White House has confirmed Tony Blair (pictured) will join Donald Trump's Gaza Board of Peace Pictured: Displaced Palestinians struggle carrying on with daily life amid the rubble left by Israeli attacks in Jabalia, Gaza on January 12, 2026He added that the appointment of the committee 'gives hope to people in Gaza that they can have a future different from the past and to the Israelis that they may have a neighbour which does not threaten its security'. Blair continued: '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.'The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 killed nearly 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken hostage.In the ensuing conflict in Gaza, it is estimated that more than 71,000 people have been killed.Turkey's President Erdogan and Egypt's President al-Sisi have both been invited to join the board, it was announced on Saturday. The White House said: 'Each Executive Board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza's stabilisation and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation.'It added that additional members will be announced in the coming weeks.That means there could be a space for Keir Starmer, with British officials earlier this week confirming that the idea of the Prime Minister joining the board had been floated by members of the US administration.Alongside the Founding Executive Board, a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) will be created and led by Palestinian official Ali Shaath.And there will be a wider Gaza Executive Board that includes Sir Tony, Mr Witkoff, Mr Kushner, as well as representatives from Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and the UN. Trump's Gaza Board of Peace is an international body designed to oversee the transitional administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip On Thursday, Mr Trump had announced that the Gaza Board of Peace had been formed and members will be announced shortly.'I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place,' he wrote on Truth Social.The new body, which is part of the US president's 20-point peace plan, was announced last September.At the time, the US president said Sir Tony would join the board.However, his nomination triggered a backlash in a region still reeling from the Iraq war. There could be further objections to Sir Tony's position now confirmed.The first phase of the plan was to deradicalise Gaza, with the second focused on the territory's redevelopment.The announcement came as it was reported that the Board of Peace could be broadened out to mediate on other global hotspots such as Ukraine and Venezuela.US officials are said to have floated the idea while Western and Arab diplomats are reportedly concerned about the body having an expanded remit beyond the Middle East.The Trump administration viewed the Board of Peace as a potential substitute for the UN... a kind of parallel unofficial body to deal with other conflicts beyond Gaza,' one person briefed on the discussions told the Financial Times. Sir Tony Blair's statement: In full I thank President Trump for his leadership in establishing the Board of Peace and am honoured to be appointed to its Executive Board. It’s been a real privilege to work with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and their outstanding team. I look forward to working with them and other colleagues in line with the President’s vision to promote peace and prosperity. I also warmly welcome the appointment of Nickolay Mladenov, as High Representative, someone with whom I’ve worked before and for whom I have great respect.For Gaza, the President’s 20-point plan to end the war was an extraordinary achievement. It was something many thought could not happen. The war did end and the hostages (bar one, Rani Gvili whose release will continue to be a priority) released. I want to thank all the parties involved and particularly the mediators.The passing of the UN resolution endorsing that plan was also a diplomatic triumph. But we know the implementation of the plan will take enormous commitment and hard work. The appointment this week of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is a massive step forward. It gives hope to people in Gaza that they can have a future different from the past and to the Israelis that they may have a neighbour which does not threaten its security. 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.
