LONDON: A leaked draft proposal for a postwar governing body in Gaza has raised alarm among Palestinian figures, who warn it would sideline them in favor of international officials and split Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
The 21-page confidential document, seen and confirmed by The Guardian and Haaretz, outlined a Gaza International Transitional Authority headed by a chair with sweeping powers.
Among those suggested for roles are Sir Tony Blair, the former UK prime minister, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, Marc Rowan of Apollo Global Management, and Aryeh Lightstone, a former adviser to US President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Israel.
Sources said the names were illustrative and used without permission.
The plan envisages a seven to ten-member council approved by the UN Security Council, with only one Palestinian member “from the business or security sector.”
The council would make “binding decisions,” issue legislation and oversee appointments, according to the document.
Its chair would “set the political and strategic direction for GITA” and lead diplomacy with Israel, Egypt and the US, without mention of the Palestinian Authority.
“You would have a council with a majority of foreign members legislating for Palestinians in Gaza,” said Xavier Abu Eid, a former member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s diplomatic negotiating team.
“There is already suspicion of Tony Blair because of the Palestinian experience when he was the Quartet representative (of the UN, US, EU and Russia mediation group). But the biggest is over what it means for Palestine as a single political entity, something that was recognized even by Israel in the Oslo Accords. This plan effectively legally separates Gaza from the West Bank and does nothing to explain how they will remain part of the same territory,” Eid added.
A source close to Blair said that while he had been involved in talks, “the guiding principle is that Gaza is for Gazans, with no displacement of the population.”
The sourced added: “We do not support or endorse any proposal that involves the displacement of Gazans. The document states that any transitional governing body for Gaza would ultimately return authority to the Palestinian Authority, as part of a pathway toward a Palestinian state.”
Mustafa Barghouti, general-secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, told the Washington Post: “We’ve been under British colonialism already. He has a negative reputation here. If you mention Tony Blair, the first thing people mention is the Iraq war.”
The draft emerged ahead of an Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump told reporters last week: “We are very close to a deal on Gaza.” He promised an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages within 48 hours, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal, according to Arab officials briefed on the plan.
