Tony Blair set to visit Egypt to outline Trump's Gaza plan: Reports
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, recently named as a candidate to lead an international administration for Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the ongoing war, is expected to travel to Egypt in the coming days to outline his proposals, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed regional news outlet.
A senior Egyptian diplomatic source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Blair is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and General Intelligence Chief Hassan Rashad to discuss the plan.
The visit is said to have been arranged through Emirati mediation during UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed’s recent trip to Cairo, providing Blair with an opportunity to present his vision directly to Egyptian officials.
The source noted that Egypt has rejected the US suggestion to base the administration in the northern Sinai city of El-Arish. Instead, Cairo has proposed amendments calling for Gaza to be governed by a Palestinian authority without Hamas involvement, operating under a technocratic “community support committee” framework.
Meanwhile, Palestinian factions meeting to discuss the Trump initiative reportedly debated whether to reject the plan entirely, accept it with amendments, or offer conditional support while seeking clarifications and guarantees.
One option raised was conditional approval if Washington were to formally recognise a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, a prospect some participants viewed positively, as it could shift pressure back onto the US and 'Israel'.
However, the US has not indicated any willingness to consider this, despite recent recognitions of Palestine by allies such as France, Britain, and Canada.
A senior Hamas source criticised any proposal requiring the group to disarm, relinquish its military capabilities, or forgo the right to resist occupation without a Palestinian state and full 'Israeli' withdrawal, describing such terms as “worthless and cannot be built upon.”
The source added that these conditions contravene international law, which guarantees the right of occupied peoples to resist and determine their own future.
