Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been named by U.S. President Donald Trump to his newly announced “Board of Peace,” a body intended to oversee the implementation of Trump’s 20-point plan aimed at ending Israel’s ongoing conflict with Palestinians in Gaza.
The White House announced on Friday that Blair will serve as one of the founding executive members, alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. Other board members include Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management; Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group; and Robert Gabriel, a U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser.
According to the statement, the Board of Peace will oversee “a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success,” focusing on areas such as governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization.
Nickolay Mladenov, Bulgarian diplomat and former senior United Nations official, has been appointed as High Representative for Gaza, tasked with coordinating the board’s efforts on the ground.
The White House also announced the formation of a Gaza Executive Board, intended to support governance and service delivery in the enclave. Members include Blair, Kushner, and Witkoff, alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al Thawadi, and other international figures.
In a related appointment, U.S. Major-General Jasper Jeffers, currently commanding U.S. special forces, will serve as Commander of the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, leading security operations, humanitarian aid delivery, and efforts toward comprehensive demilitarization.
Under Trump’s plan, the Office of the High Representative and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), headed by Ali Shaath, will oversee day-to-day governance in Gaza in place of Hamas. Shaath, a former Deputy Minister of Transportation for the Palestinian Authority, is originally from Khan Younis in Gaza but based in the West Bank.
While Hamas has previously indicated a willingness to relinquish administrative control under the plan, there has been no immediate response from Hamas or other Palestinian factions regarding the Board of Peace’s leadership.
The announcement follows the second phase of the U.S.-brokered plan, moving from ceasefire toward “demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction,” according to Witkoff.
However, Palestinian observers have expressed concerns about the plan’s implementation, noting ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza and continued restrictions on humanitarian aid, despite the October ceasefire agreement.
This initiative comes amid international scrutiny over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has seen over 71,000 Palestinian deaths since October 2023.
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