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Published : 09 Dec 2025, 10:59 PM
Tony Blair has been excluded from a leading position on Gaza’s peace council following objections from Arab states over his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The Independent said the former Labour prime minister had been closely linked to Donald Trump’s plan to rebuild the war-torn Palestinian enclave unveiled in September.
But the British daily added that regional leaders harboured deep resentment over his decision to take Britain into the US-led invasion of Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein.
The Financial Times cited sources familiar with the discussions, reporting that Blair was quietly being dropped from consideration for a top role, though he could still hold a position on the sidelines.
Blair was the only person named as a frontrunner to sit on Trump’s “board of peace” so far.
The US president had said in October, “I’ve always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he’s an acceptable choice to everybody. I want to find out that Tony would be popular with all because I just don’t know that.”
A source told the FT that it was likely Blair would have “a role in a different capacity” – just not as central as planned and probably not on the peace board.
“The Americans like him and the Israelis like him,” the source said, adding that Arab and Muslim leaders in the region have reservations.
It is unclear which specific leaders raised objections to Blair’s prospective involvement.
Earlier this year, there was furious public and political opposition in Egypt to the prospect of him visiting the country, let alone having a role in Gaza’s future. Kamal Abu Eita, a former Egyptian minister, told The New Arab: “We do not trust Blair at the personal level, a man who is strongly connected with colonial heritage. Egyptians are opposed to all forms of occupation of Gaza, a territory that has to be ruled by its own people only.”
The Independent added that his possible allies have also had muted involvement in the peace process.
It cited the UAE, which once allegedly paid Blair as a consultant while he was working as a peace envoy in the region, as ruling out involvement in implementing a Gaza stabilisation force for now.
The former prime minister remains controversial both at home and in the Middle East over the decision to take Britain into the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Huge rallies formed in London, Amman, Beirut, and Cairo in 2003 to protest British involvement as his popularity sank to minus-20 points at home.
John Chilcot’s report later concluded that the prime minister had overstated the threat posed by Hussein and that the invasion was not the “last resort” presented to the public and parliament, deepening his unpopularity.
Iraq’s neighbours suffered from the insecurity left in Iraq after Hussein’s ousting, as violent jihadist groups like Isis emerged and regional powers tussled for influence.
Blair left politics in 2007 as his popularity at home crumbled and took a position as representative to the Quartet, an international body overseeing the peace process between Israel and Palestine.
He remained in the role until 2015 despite accusations of pro-Israel bias by Palestinian officials.
The daily said his Institute for Global Change later came under fire for continuing to advise the Saudi government after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
