Trump appoints Tony Blair and Marco Rubio to Gaza ‘board of peace' | ITV News

Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair will be part of Donald Trump’s Gaza “board of peace”, aimed at establishing a lasting peace in the territory, the White House has said. Trump also named Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner among those on the seven-member “founding executive board". Washington said on Friday that the "board of peace", chaired by Trump, will be tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza after a fragile ceasefire was reached last year. “The United States remains fully committed to supporting this transitional framework, working in close partnership with Israel, key Arab nations, and the international community,” the White House statement said. The other members were named as billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank president Ajay Banga and US deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel. Here's the full list of those on the “executive board of peace”: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Trump's special envoy to Israel, Steve Witkoff Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner Former Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair Billionaire and CEO of Apollo Global Management, Marc Rowan President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States, Robert Gabriel In a statement, the White House said the 20-point plan was a road map for “lasting peace, stability, reconstruction, and prosperity in the region”. The White House suggested that the individual members of this group would each hold specialist portfolios to help “stabilisation” efforts in Gaza. The statement went on: “Each executive board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilisation and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation.” The former Labour prime minister’s name also appeared on a longer list of names as part of a “Gaza Executive Board”, the purpose of which appears to be advising a newly set-up interim government for Gaza. That interim authority, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, was established on Wednesday, led by “technocratic” Palestinian officials. Blair and 10 others, including Witkoff and Kushner, will support this fledgling government on “effective governance and the delivery of best-in-class services that advance peace, stability, and prosperity for the people of Gaza”. Trump teased the announcement of the peace board’s membership ahead of time. Writing on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, he said: “The Members of the Board will be announced shortly, but I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place. Blair’s office was contacted by the PA News Agency for comment. Subscribe free toour weekly newsletterfor exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair will be part of Donald Trump’s Gaza “board of peace”, aimed at establishing a lasting peace in the territory, the White House has said. Trump also named Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner among those on the seven-member “founding executive board". Washington said on Friday that the "board of peace", chaired by Trump, will be tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza after a fragile ceasefire was reached last year. “The United States remains fully committed to supporting this transitional framework, working in close partnership with Israel, key Arab nations, and the international community,” the White House statement said. The other members were named as billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank president Ajay Banga and US deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel. Here's the full list of those on the “executive board of peace”: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Trump's special envoy to Israel, Steve Witkoff Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner Former Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair Billionaire and CEO of Apollo Global Management, Marc Rowan President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States, Robert Gabriel In a statement, the White House said the 20-point plan was a road map for “lasting peace, stability, reconstruction, and prosperity in the region”. The White House suggested that the individual members of this group would each hold specialist portfolios to help “stabilisation” efforts in Gaza. The statement went on: “Each executive board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilisation and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation.” The former Labour prime minister’s name also appeared on a longer list of names as part of a “Gaza Executive Board”, the purpose of which appears to be advising a newly set-up interim government for Gaza. That interim authority, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, was established on Wednesday, led by “technocratic” Palestinian officials. Blair and 10 others, including Witkoff and Kushner, will support this fledgling government on “effective governance and the delivery of best-in-class services that advance peace, stability, and prosperity for the people of Gaza”. Trump teased the announcement of the peace board’s membership ahead of time. Writing on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, he said: “The Members of the Board will be announced shortly, but I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place. Blair’s office was contacted by the PA News Agency for comment. Subscribe free toour weekly newsletterfor exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know