US President Donald Trump's plan for a 'peace council' in Gaza appears to be gathering steam, but a key piece of the puzzle, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, has seemingly been dropped from consideration. According to reports by the Financial Times, Arab and Muslim nations have objected to Blair being part of the council, which was initially touted as Trump's top choice for brokering peace in the region.
Blair had been quietly lobbying behind the scenes for a prominent role in Gaza's interim administration, with his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change having drawn up a plan that included Trump's son-in-law and informal envoy Jared Kushner. However, critics have long pointed to Blair's lackluster record on Middle East peace efforts, despite his attempts to capitalize on his success in Northern Ireland.
In the Arab world, Blair is viewed with skepticism due to his involvement in the disastrous US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Trump had publicly praised Blair as a "very good man," but ultimately came under pressure from other nations who were wary of his involvement.
The reported withdrawal of Blair comes despite claims that he held an unpublicized meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss plans, according to a report by the Times of Israel. However, sources suggest that Blair could still play a lesser role on the council, and that this might be a more feasible option for him.
It's unclear what triggered the US decision to drop Blair from consideration, but it suggests another chaotic episode in Trump's plans for Gaza. The White House has struggled to recruit nations for its proposed peacekeeping force, which would face significant challenges in mediating between Israel and Hamas in the region.
Blair had been quietly lobbying behind the scenes for a prominent role in Gaza's interim administration, with his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change having drawn up a plan that included Trump's son-in-law and informal envoy Jared Kushner. However, critics have long pointed to Blair's lackluster record on Middle East peace efforts, despite his attempts to capitalize on his success in Northern Ireland.
In the Arab world, Blair is viewed with skepticism due to his involvement in the disastrous US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Trump had publicly praised Blair as a "very good man," but ultimately came under pressure from other nations who were wary of his involvement.
The reported withdrawal of Blair comes despite claims that he held an unpublicized meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss plans, according to a report by the Times of Israel. However, sources suggest that Blair could still play a lesser role on the council, and that this might be a more feasible option for him.
It's unclear what triggered the US decision to drop Blair from consideration, but it suggests another chaotic episode in Trump's plans for Gaza. The White House has struggled to recruit nations for its proposed peacekeeping force, which would face significant challenges in mediating between Israel and Hamas in the region.
so like trump thinks he can just make a 'peace council' happen without anyone questioning him... and now they're dropping blair from it because arab/muslim nations don't trust him anymore... that's like, kinda weird considering his track record on middle east peace efforts lol... i guess it shows how hard it is for trump to get anything done in this whole thing 
u mean, who's gonna be part of it now? and why did they drop blair after all that hype 
guess arab nations just got fed up with his history in iraq 
still don't know what's good for gaza tho 
only hope is that Kushner's plan won't fall flat 
it feels like we're stuck in a cycle of messes over there. blair's got some baggage dont get me wrong he's a smart guy but his history on middle east peace efforts is pretty questionable. and now trump's plans are just gonna be another version of the same old thing? i dont know man its like they're tryin to put together a puzzle with all these missing pieces 
) than actually making progress.
. And honestly, can't say I blame them. Trump did come under pressure from other nations who were skeptical of Blair's role in the Middle East peacemaking efforts.
. The thing is, we all want peace and stability in that region, right? But it feels like every step forward gets met with hurdles and controversy... Maybe Blair's plan was a good one, but I'm not sure he's the best fit for this particular council 
? I mean, I get it, they wanna fix this mess in Gaza, but come on, Tony Blair? Really? 
He's like the ultimate middleman for 'Hey, let's try to broker some peace... but also, let's just invade Iraq and see what happens' 
. And then you gotta wonder if Trump was even thinking straight when he said that about Blair 
Still, it's like they're just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. Can't they just take a step back and have a serious conversation about what's really going on in Gaza instead of trying to pawn off some old dude with a questionable track record 
anyway, blair's involvement was always a red flag for me. that invasion of iraq in 2003 was straight up messy. can't say i blame other nations for being skeptical about his role on this council. Kushner's got enough baggage already 
guess trump's still trying to make history with all these unconventional choices 
.
. It's not like it's rocket science or anything 
.
. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how this whole council thing plays out 
.