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LAST UPDATE | 17 Jan
DONALD TRUMP HAS appointed former UK prime minister Tony Blair to his so-called ‘Board of Peace’, formed to prevent future conflict in Gaza as part of the next phase of the 20-point ceasefire plan.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are also among the names on the “executive board” to “operationalize the Board of Peace’s vision”, the White House confirmed.
A statement said the board was “composed of leaders with experience across diplomacy, development, infrastructure, and economic strategy”.
The other members are World Bank President Ajay Banga, an Indian-born American businessman; billionaire US financier Marc Rowan; and Robert Gabriel, a loyal Trump aide who serves on the National Security Council.
“Each Executive Board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization,” the White House statement added.
The US President had already declared himself the chair of the board.
In a statement, Blair said he is “honoured” to be appointed to the executive board.
“It’s been a real privilege to work with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and their outstanding team,” he said.
“I look forward to working with them and other colleagues in line with the president’s vision to promote peace and prosperity.”
The former Labour leader also said Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza was an “extraordinary achievement” and that implementing it will take “enormous commitment and hard work”.
Blair’s name had been mooted in previous media reports as being involved in work behind the scenes to establish a post-war plan for Gaza. His inclusion on the board is likely to be a point of contention.
He remains a controversial figure in the Middle East because of his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Trump himself said last year that he wanted to make sure Blair was an “acceptable choice to everybody.”
After leaving Downing Street in 2007, Blair became a representative of the “Middle East Quartet” – the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia - which focused on achieving peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. But he resigned in 2015, after he was seen as being too close to the Israelis.
The White House said the Board of Peace will take on issues such as “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding and capital mobilization.”
Trump has previously mused about turning devastated Gaza into a Riviera-style area of resorts, although he has backed away from calls to forcibly displace the population.
Despite the US-brokered ceasefire being in place since October, strikes are still continuing.
Yesterday, Israel’s military said it had again hit the Gaza Strip in response to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire, claiming “armed terrorists fired at IDF troops” in Rafah.
The strikes come despite Washington announcing that the Gaza plan had gone on to a second phrase – from implementing the ceasefire to disarming Hamas.
Trump yesterday named US Major General Jasper Jeffers to head the ‘International Stabilization Force’, which will be tasked with providing security in Gaza and training a new police force to succeed Hamas.
Jeffers, from special operations in US Central Command, in late 2024 was put in charge of monitoring a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, which has continued periodic strikes aimed at Hezbollah militants.
The US has been searching the world for countries to contribute to the force, with Indonesia an early volunteer. But diplomats expect challenges in seeing countries send troops so long as Hamas does not agree to disarm fully.
A Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern Gaza held its first meeting in Cairo yesterday, which was attended by Jared Kushner.
Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath was earlier tapped to head the governing committee.
The committee’s meeting in Cairo also included Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, who was given a role of high representative liaising between the new governing body and Trump’s Board of Peace.
Committee members are scheduled to meet again today, one of them told AFP on condition of anonymity. “We hope to go to Gaza next week or the week after; our work is there, and we need to be there,” he said.
Trump also named a second “executive board” that appears designed to have a more advisory role.
Blair, Witkoff and Mladenov will serve on it as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Israel has refused a Turkish role in the security force, owing to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s fiery denunciations of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The board will also include senior figures from mediators Egypt and Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020.
Trump also named to the board Sigrid Kaag, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, despite his administration’s efforts to sideline the world body.
With reporting from © AFP 2026
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