Sir Tony Blair has emerged as a central figure in steering Donald Trump away from the “more extreme” post-war plans for Gaza, according to diplomatic insiders.
The former prime minister attended a White House meeting led by the US President to develop a “comprehensive plan” for the region in the event of a peace agreement with Israel on Wednesday.
The 72-year-old alerted No 10 that he would be attending the meeting prior to his arrival, The i Paper understands, but he was there in a personal capacity and was not undertaking any official role for the UK government.
The meeting also saw input from Trump’s son-in-law and former Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, a senior White House official said.
Trump, Blair and Kushner, along with top White House officials, discussed the return of Israeli hostages, plans to escalate food aid deliveries into the enclave, post-war plans and more, the official said.
Trump has previously endorsed proposals to turn the war-torn territory into a “riviera of the Middle East”, which suggested the forced removal of Gazans from their home region.
But diplomatic sources told The i Paper that Blair, along with the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, are being viewed as potentially pivotal in nudging Trump towards more realistic outcomes for the area.
One insider said that Blair is close to Kushner, who led the Middle East peace process during Trump’s first term, and was instrumental in salvaging the Abraham accords from the wreckage of the original Trump deal with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
After stepping down as prime minister, Blair was appointed special envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East, a position he held until 2015.
The source added that as a result of his time as Middle East envoy for the “Quartet” (the EU, US, UN and Russia), he knows the subject comprehensively and that now he has the ear of Trump, he could steer the President away from some of his “more extreme” ideas for Gaza.
His presence in the White House meeting was also welcomed by Lord Ricketts, who chaired the Joint Intelligence Committee during Blair’s premiership before being appointed national security adviser.
Smoke rises over residential areas after the Israeli army’s attacks on ez-Zeytun neighborhood in southern Gaza City, Gaza on August 27, 2025. (Photo by Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Anadolu via Getty Images)He said: “It can only be a good thing that the White House have got Tony Blair involved. He has the kind of deep background on the Israel/Palestine conflict that they [the Trump administration] lack.
“And he understands that the only way through this is to do it with the Arab countries and that means offering some form of political future for the Palestinians.”
The comments were echoed by former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, who told the BBC that both Blair and Kushner “could be very useful, very helpful, very knowledgeable, perhaps more than most of the other advisors that are now working with President Trump, because a lack of experience of the others”.
Speaking to Fox News ahead of the meeting, the President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said:“It’s a very comprehensive plan we’re putting together on the next day [for Gaza] that I think many people are going to be — they’re going to see how robust it is and how it’s — how well-meaning it is.”
Blair has come under scrutiny over his involvement with the Trump administration’s plans for Gaza after it emerged that his Tony Blair Institute was involved in drawing up the “Trump Riviera” proposals.
Blair Institute and Trump Riviera
The Financial Times revealed last month that members of the TBI worked on a project titled the “Great Trust” which was subsequently shared with the Trump administration, and proposed paying half a million Palestinians to leave the area and attracting private investors to develop Gaza.
While the TBI said it did not support the removal of Gazans from the region, and did not draw up or endorse the plan – which was led by an Israeli businessman – two members of staff participated in message groups and calls, the FT reported.
A TBI document shared in the group said the war in Gaza had “created a once-in-a-century opportunity to rebuild Gaza from first principles . . . as a secure, modern prosperous society”.
The TBI refused to comment on Blair’s presence at the White House meeting, but the former prime minister has advocated since 2006 for Gaza to become a resort in a bid to boost its economy.
square ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR Tony Blair joins meeting with Trump to discuss Gaza
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Responding to Blair’s involvement at the meeting, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the former Labour leader must give evidence before Parliament spelling out what he learnt from his discussions with Trump’s team.
“If he has special insight into Trump’s intentions, it’s only right that Parliament and the Government are made privy to this,” Davey said.
“Trump has a unique power to help end this war, get the hostages out, and get the desperately needed aid in to relieve the horrendous human suffering in Gaza. We must leverage all the information and resources at our disposal to make him do the right thing.”
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