Former British prime minister Tony Blair at the White House in Washington on September 15, 2020. SAUL LOEB/AFP
T
hrough their painful history, the Palestinian people have learned that their fate can be decided very far from Palestine itself, and without any pretense of consultation. On August 27, US President Donald Trump convened a meeting on Gaza with his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his business and golf partner Steve Witkoff at the White House. Kushner previously served as Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, while Witkoff is currently his regional envoy.
Former British prime minister (1997-2007) Tony Blair was also invited. Blair's consulting firm, the Tony Blair Institute, has been working with Kushner and Witkoff for months to provide political cover for a plan to transform Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East." When Trump unveiled his plan for Gaza on September 29, he announced that Blair would serve alongside him on a transitional committee overseeing the Palestinian enclave. Blair's commitment to the American plan is a continuation of decades of hostility toward Palestinian nationalism.
Subscribers only
