Former UK PM Tony Blair appointed to US-led Gaza peace board, drawing criticism over his role in the 2003 Iraq war and mixed regional reactions.
LONDON: Former British prime minister Tony Blair has been appointed to a new US-led board overseeing Gaza’s future, returning the controversial figure to Middle East diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump named the 72-year-old as a member of the fledgling “Board of Peace” on Friday.
Blair said Saturday he was “honoured” by the appointment and looked forward to working “in line with the president’s vision to promote peace and prosperity”.
He also welcomed as “a massive step forward” a new Palestinian committee that began work in Cairo on Friday to govern post-war Gaza.
“It gives hope to people in Gaza that they can have a future different from the past and to the Israelis that they may have a neighbour which does not threaten its security,” Blair said in a statement.
Some media reports credit Blair with helping craft Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan alongside the president’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.
Blair brings eight years of experience as envoy for the Middle East Quartet of the EU, UN, US and Russia.
His appointment quickly drew criticism on social media, with users referencing his role in backing false evidence of Iraqi chemical weapons to justify the 2003 invasion.
Trump declared himself chair of the board, with full membership including Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s business partner Steve Witkoff.
The White House said all were “leaders with experience across diplomacy, development, infrastructure, and economic strategy”.
Critics argue Blair achieved little as Middle East envoy and is ill-suited as a peacemaker, reviled by many Arabs and discredited in Britain over Iraq.
Blair has maintained an informal regional role through his Institute for Global Change and various consultancy positions.
Israel appeared to welcome the idea of Blair taking a senior Gaza role, and he is said to have a good rapport with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“He has always had a corner of his heart devoted to the unfinished project of calming down this conflict,” former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak told the Washington Post.
Palestinian reaction was less enthusiastic when the idea was first floated.
“That is the most horrible idea,” Mustafa Barghuti, head of the Palestinian National Initiative, told CNN at the time.
Blair has remained unapologetic about joining the 2003 invasion but has expressed regret about intelligence failures and lack of post-war planning.
He became Britain’s youngest leader since 1812 when elected prime minister in 1997, overseeing prosperity, constitutional change and a historic Northern Ireland peace deal.
His domestic reputation eroded after one million people protested in London against invading Iraq and the war’s justification proved flawed.
