Tony Blair: Governor of Gaza?

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair could find himself governing Gaza. He and Donald Trump could end up overseeing Gaza if the latest peace plan agreed by Trump and Netanyahu is accepted. Blair could well be Trump's man in Gaza. Overseeing the rebuilding of Gaza, gathering together Palestinians who will please all sides in eventually taking over from Blair. However, when Netanyahu touches down in Israel after his meeting with the US President, he will face a tirade of hate and praise.

Mr. Netanyahu is due to hold a cabinet meeting this evening. While some ministers will support the plan, far-right cabinet ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have already outlined their opposition. Ben-Gvir was outraged that Bibi (Netanyahu) apologised for the raid on Doha, in Qatar. The raid failed, and it did not kill the Hamas operatives who were meeting there, ironically, to discuss peace. A member of the Qatari secret service was dead, however. Ben-Gvir described the attack as an "important, just and supremely moral attack....Qatar is a state that supports terrorism and incites terrorism".

Smotrich, not to be outdone by his fellow fascist, compared Netanyahu's peace plan to Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler and the Nazis. Saying Netanyahu had made a "grovelling apology" and the apology was a "disgrace". Again, another irony, a Jew serving in the government of Israel, alluding to the Nazis when he himself is a far-right politician. You honestly couldn't make this up; it would be hilarious if it were not real.

The Israeli President, whose role is purely ceremonial, Isaac Herzog, welcomed the plan. A group representing the families of the hostages also welcomed the plan. So, it's not all bad news for Netanyahu; however, the cabinet meeting will be a stormy place tonight. Supporters and those who do not support the peace plan will argue back and forth. Whether the plan is accepted, we will know this week, no doubt.

However, the likes of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich will pull away from the deal if it is accepted. Then there is the possibility of the government falling, which would then lead to a general election. At the moment, though, until we know more, all this speculation.

The plan was sent to Hamas, whose support for this plan is critical. However, the plan contains no plan for a Palestinian state, and that will be a non-starter for them. Without the guarantee of an eventual Palestinian state, any peace plan is not worth the paper it is written on. Netanyahu has already ruled out a Palestinian state, as has Trump. So why bother with this so-called plan? Maybe Trump and Netanyahu cooked up this plan knowing it was always going to fail. Without the mention of Palestinian self-determination, they know Hamas will say no. Again, this is speculation, but these questions must be asked.

As for Tony Blair being the Governor of Gaza, veteran Palestinian politician and member of the Ruling Council in the West Bank, Mustapha Barghouti said: "Tony Blair is a war criminal who should be in the Hague, not Gaza". Barghouti sums up how Blair, along with Bush, is seen in the Middle East.

As much as we all hope and pray for peace in the region, this plan looks dead before it even has a chance to breathe and be implemented. How many peace plans were there before October 7, and after that date that have come and gone or failed?

This so-called war is like the Russian-Ukrainian War; whatever peace proposals are proposed, they are never good enough for either side. In a dance, you need both partners to work in alignment. If neither partner is willing, or one of the partners is not willing to dance, then the dance is pointless. Much like the peace plans for both of the above conflicts.