Tony Blair takes on a broader role in managing the Gaza file after the failure of the US-backed "Peace Council"

Abu Dhabi —
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to play a more influential role in international efforts aimed at managing the post-war phase in the Gaza Strip, at a time when the American initiative known as the «Peace Council» is facing increasing difficulties in making progress on the ground.

According to information circulated from sources familiar with the file, Blair will take on broader responsibilities within the international structure overseeing the implementation of the political and security arrangements related to Gaza during the upcoming phase, after months of setbacks that affected the post-war plan.

The American administration had previously chosen Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov to assume the position of the High Representative for Gaza within the Peace Council, while Blair remained a member of the council’s executive bodies, but those bodies have not been able to fully exercise their role since their announcement.

Setback of the post-war plan

The expansion of Blair’s role comes at a time when the American plan to end the war in Gaza is facing complex political and security obstacles.

The plan is based on establishing a new technocratic Palestinian administration to govern the sector instead of Hamas, alongside a gradual disarmament program, and the introduction of new security arrangements that pave the way for reducing the Israeli military presence inside the sector.

However, negotiations related to disarming Hamas have not achieved any tangible breakthrough so far, while Israel has continued to strengthen its military presence in large parts of the sector, which has increased the complexity of implementing the subsequent phases of the plan.

Several regional mediators also believe that the political environment inside Israel currently does not support taking substantive steps related to easing security control or allowing the emergence of alternative governance and security structures within Gaza, especially with the approach of Israeli political deadlines.

New responsibilities for Blair

Blair’s new tasks are expected to include overseeing the administrative and organizational aspects related to the Peace Council, and working on coordinating the relationship between its various bodies, in an attempt to reactivate institutions that have practically remained almost frozen during the past months.

He will also take on a larger role in the humanitarian aid file and managing efforts aimed at facilitating the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

At the same time, Blair continues his engagement in communications with the Palestinian Authority regarding administrative and institutional reform programs, within an international vision aimed at enabling new Palestinian institutions to assume responsibilities for governance and administration in the sector in the future.

The National Committee for Gaza Management

Blair’s role also intersects with efforts to support the National Committee for Gaza Management, the technocratic body that is supposed to manage the sector during the transitional phase.

However, the work of this committee remains largely stalled due to the political deadlock that has affected the Peace Council’s path and the failure so far to reach final understandings regarding governance and security arrangements in the post-war phase.

Searching for a political way out

The expansion of Blair’s role reflects an increasing awareness among international parties that the current path faces serious challenges, and that achieving any progress in the file of Gaza’s reconstruction or restructuring the civil and security administration requires additional political and diplomatic momentum.

Amid ongoing disagreements over the future of the sector, disarmament, the role of the Palestinian Authority, and the form of required security guarantees, Blair’s new mission appears to be an attempt to revive an international project aimed at finding a viable political and administrative framework for Gaza after the war, at a time when most elements of the final settlement remain subject to negotiation and contention among the concerned parties.