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A recently surfaced confidential document outlining the proposed structure of the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA) sheds light on how international powers envision a new governance model for Gaza. It named former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair as a potential leader and listed Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris among prominent international figures—raising questions over the plan.
This came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the formation of a “Peace Council” to oversee the administration of the territory in a plan to end the war that has been ongoing in Gaza for nearly two years.
The 21-page paper details an interim administration, supervised by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), combining international oversight with Palestinian service delivery.
The council has about seven to 10 members, including a chair. Members are nominated by contributing states and confirmed through a process coordinated by the U.N.
The confidential plan, reviewed by the British daily The Guardian and the Israeli daily Haaretz, outlines the structure of the GITA.
While no Palestinian leaders are named in the draft, several prominent international figures appear as potential participants.
The document explicitly names only one Arab businessman: Egyptian telecom magnate Naguib Sawiris.
The name of Sawiris is mentioned in one of the examples that the Board shall include as a feature: leading international figures with executive and financial expertise.
CEO of Apollo Global Management, Marc Rowan and possibly a former American diplomat with financial expertise, Aryeh Lightstone, were also mentioned in that clause.
Sources close to the drafting of the plan said the names were included as illustrative examples and that the individuals had not formally consented to take part.
The document states that the international board should include “strong representation of Muslim members to ensure regional legitimacy and cultural credibility.”
Yet, despite this recommendation, Sawiris is the only Arab name written explicitly in the draft.
The board is also set to include at least one qualified Palestinian representative, potentially drawn from the business or security sectors
Additionally, the former Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Sigrid Kaag, appears under the clause specifying that the board must include a senior U.N. official.
The Guardian reported that the plan would be led by former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The leaking of the draft plan follows reports in recent days that Blair has been involved in discussions about leading a postwar transitional authority in Gaza.
Under the proposal, said to have backing from the White House, Blair would lead a governing authority supported by the U.N. and Gulf nations before handing back control to the Palestinians.
His office said he would not support any proposal that displaced the people of Gaza.
In the meantime, Blair’s name has prompted reactions due to his association with the 2003 Iraq War.
Palestinian critics who have seen the proposal—and who have long viewed Blair with suspicion—warned that Gita would be a “disaster” for Palestine, creating an alternative jurisdiction in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
Mustafa Barghouti, the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative and a critic of Blair, told the Washington Post on Monday: “We’ve been under British colonialism already. He has a negative reputation here. If you mention Tony Blair, the first thing people mention is the Iraq War.”
The U.K. deputy prime minister, David Lammy, until recently the foreign secretary, said he had no idea if Blair would take such a role.
Some have also questioned the nature of the relationship between Blair and Sawiris.
In 2020, Naguib Sawiris hosted an extravagant wedding for his son, Ansi, at the foot of the Pyramids, attended by numerous celebrities, business leaders, and political figures.
Among the guests, the most prominent name was that of Blair.
The event underscored the long-standing relationship between the two men, which may span decades, possibly predating Blair’s tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
In 2013, a photograph captured Sawiris and Blair strolling together in a Mediterranean city, where Blair was vacationing at a villa owned by Italian billionaire Silvio Berlusconi.
In 2014, media reports revealed a notable meeting between Sawiris and Blair on a luxury yacht owned by the Egyptian businessman in Saint-Tropez.
At the time, the reports indicated that Sawiris discussed Egypt’s political situation with Blair in the aftermath of the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood.
A year later, Blair visited Cairo, with his departure reportedly occurring aboard Sawiris’s private plane, according to contemporary media accounts.
Before that trip, the two had reportedly met over three days in South Africa. In 2019, Blair visited El Gouna with his family, accompanied by Naguib Sawiris.
Trump’s proposal to stop the war in Gaza calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages within 48 hours, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory, according to three Arab officials briefed on the plan.
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