Tony Blair's emergence as a potential interim consul for Gaza and member of Donald Trump's 'board of peace' has drawn scepticism from analysts who point to his controversial record in the Middle East. The former UK prime minister was a key architect of the Iraq war and has been accused of intertwining his business interests with political advocacy.
During his tenure as Quartet envoy from 2007 to 2015, Blair focused on economic development but was seen by Palestinians as sympathetic to Israel. Xavier Abu Eid, a former PLO official, said Blair lobbied against Palestinian statehood recognition at the UN in 2011, despite claiming a political mandate on issues like home demolitions.
Critics note that Blair supported the 2006 boycott of Hamas after its election victory, a stance that contributed to the group's violent takeover of Gaza in 2008. He later conceded in 2017 that the international community should have engaged Hamas in dialogue.
Within the UK government, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said he had 'not a clue' about Blair's draft plan for postwar Gaza when asked at a Labour conference event. The extent of support from Keir Starmer's administration remains unclear.
Blair's worldview, according to critics, emphasises Islamist extremism as the top security threat while downplaying human rights abuses by Gulf allies. He has defended the Egyptian army's overthrow of Mohamed Morsi and maintained close ties with autocrats such as Muammar Gaddafi.
