White House: Rubio and Blair in Gaza Peace Council

TT

Published 2026-01-16 23.11

 

Tony Blair with Donald Trump. Archive photo. Photo: Yoan Valat/AP/TT

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are part of the so-called peace council that is intended to govern the Gaza Strip, the White House announced.

Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, and envoy Steve Witkoff are also on the list, as is the head of the World Bank, Ajay Banga.

Blair is seen by many observers as a controversial choice. He was appointed international Middle East envoy in 2007, on behalf of a quartet: the US, Russia, the EU and the UN. Eight years later he resigned from the post - by then few steps had been taken towards lasting peace and a two-state solution.

He has also been involved in the so-called Abraham Accords, where the Trump administration got several Arab countries to normalize their relations with Israel, something that aroused popular discontent in the region because the Palestinians were considered to have been sidelined.

Blair, 72,'s legacy is largely marked by his decision to participate in the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 under the false premise that the country had acquired weapons of mass destruction.