Tony Blair, a former British prime minister whose reputation was severely damaged by the 2003 war in Iraq, has long been a divisive figure in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump appointed the 72-year-old political veteran to a newly formed “Board of Peace” to assist in managing Gaza on Friday.
He said Saturday he was “honoured” to have been tapped by Trump to join the board, adding he looked forward to working with “other colleagues in line with the president’s vision to promote peace and prosperity”.
He also welcomed as “a massive step forward” a Palestinian committee headed by former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath, which began work in Cairo on Friday to govern post-war Gaza.
“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,” Blair said in a statement.
Blair has been credited in some media reports with helping craft the US leader’s 20-point Gaza plan alongside Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.
Blair served as the Middle East Quartet’s envoy for eight years, representing the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations, giving him extensive experience in the area.
However, his role in supporting fabricated proof of Iraqi chemical weapons to support the 2003 invasion was quickly pointed out by social media users.
Trump has already proclaimed himself the board’s chair, and on Friday he revealed that Blair, Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Steve Witkoff—Trump’s former business partner who is now a traveling negotiator—will all be full members.
They were all “leaders with experience across diplomacy, development, infrastructure, and economic strategy”, the White House said in a statement.
