Tony Blair lays out prerequisites for a 'Free Palestine' at Board of Peace gathering

Tony Blair lays out prerequisites for a 'Free Palestine' at Board of Peace gathering

Jo Elizabeth

Former British Prime Minister and senior member of the Board of Peace, Sir Tony Blair, made a speech on Wednesday about what would be necessary for Palestinians living in Gaza to be free.

Speaking at the Board of Peace gathering held during the UN General Assembly in New York, Blair referenced the “Free Palestine” movement, saying, “For Palestinians living in Gaza, they don’t need a slogan; they need a solution. To be free, Gaza must live in peace with its neighbors and with itself.”

“This cannot happen if it is governed by those who use Gaza as a base for war against a neighbor it has no chance of defeating,” he added, tacitly acknowledging the defeat of Hamas. “So the responsibility on us is huge. And it weighs on us.”

The Board of Peace, which has 28 member countries including the US and Israel, was established in January at the instigation of U.S. President Donald Trump to promote stability and peace in conflict areas, starting with Gaza.

Trump floated the concept in September last year, inviting about 60 nations to join the initiative at a cost of $1 billion each.

“All these people I work with within the Board of Peace, with good hearts and creative minds, have one sole objective: a peace that lasts because it is built on solid ground,” said Blair.

Member countries sign up to the Board of Peace foundational principles, declaring that durable peace requires “pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.”

The board emphasizes ownership and responsibility among those whose future is at stake, along with steady partnerships to bear the cost of lasting peace.

"The goal is very, very clear: We want to have a Gaza Strip that could thrive and reach its full potential," affirmed Jared Kushner, Trump's Middle East envoy and executive board member, together with Blair, U.S envoy Steve Witkoff, State Secretary Marc Rubio and others. “In order for that to happen, it must be fully demilitarized."

“A year ago, none of this existed. We didn’t have the conflict resolved. The Board of Peace didn’t exist… What you have seen is almost like the building of a really big start-up,” Kushner said. 

“We are building something that is a platform to enable the Palestinian people in Gaza to finally focus on improving their livelihoods and improving their lives, and for those who want to live in peace to give them a chance to do so,” he added, acknowledging that building trust is one of their greatest challenges.

Blair stressed that in order to create lasting peace, Gaza could no longer be controlled by Hamas or any other terror group dedicated to the destruction of Israel. 

“Beneath Gaza’s cities and villages, there are kilometers of tunnels with weapons depots," said Blair. "The new administration will not be able to function unless all of this infrastructure is dismantled. Hamas agreed to this, and we are carrying this out now step by step.”

The Board has outlined its six-month program to rebuild Gaza, which will cost about $2.45 billion. According to Axios, the “66-project” includes temporary housing, rubble removal, hospital repairs, restoration of basic infrastructure, economic recovery and preparations to deploy the International Stabilization Force.

“Seventy percent of Gaza is destroyed,” Blair told those gathered. “There has been significant humanitarian improvement, but for many people the situation remains severe. In the coming year, we are moving toward implementation of the plan.”