Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has become a frequent and discreet visitor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office throughout the Gaza war, with Haaretz reporting that the two held their most recent meeting roughly two weeks ago. A review of Netanyahu’s 2024 schedule shows at least seven in-person meetings with Blair, as well as two additional phone calls. Separate logs from former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer show three more meetings between him and Blair, each held shortly before Dermer joined Netanyahu for follow-up consultations.
According to information obtained by Haaretz, Blair has also traveled extensively across the region in recent months and visited areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, though he has maintained a low public profile despite his growing involvement. Blair has been closely associated with international proposals for Gaza’s “day after,” including a plan for an international administration of the Strip. However, several sources told Haaretz he was later pushed aside due to Egyptian opposition, even though U.S. officials had previously floated his name as a potential head of a temporary Gaza administration before Donald Trump announced his own plan.
Trump publicly mentioned Blair again during a White House press conference where he unveiled his 20-point Gaza proposal alongside Netanyahu, saying the former prime minister was expected to participate in a planned peace council. Sources who spoke to Haaretz now say Blair may instead receive a mid-level role on that body, which could include senior officials, business leaders and Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Financial Times reported that Blair’s appointment to a top position stalled due to resistance from several Muslim countries.
Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, proposed in Blair’s original outline as a possible council member, also visited Israel this week. Sawiris previously told Arab media he had not been formally approached but would consider serving if the council committed to establishing a Palestinian state. The Prime Minister’s Office did not say whether he met Netanyahu during his visit.
Blair now leads the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which warns that another Gaza-Israel escalation is inevitable without a political process. The institute has rapidly expanded in recent years, funded in part by major contributions from Oracle founder Larry Ellison. An investigation by Lighthouse Reports found Ellison donated $130 million to the institute between 2021 and 2023 and pledged an additional $218 million. Although Blair does not receive a salary, the institute’s staff has grown from about 200 to nearly 1,000 since Ellison’s support began.
Ellison’s ties to Netanyahu have drawn scrutiny. Haaretz previously revealed that the billionaire appears as witness number 312 in the prime minister’s criminal trial and allegedly encouraged fellow billionaire Arnon Milchan to allow attorney Boaz Ben Zur to represent Netanyahu. The two men reportedly maintained close personal contact even after the trial began, including a 2021 vacation Netanyahu spent on a Hawaiian island owned by Ellison. Ellison is also closely linked to Donald Trump, having hosted a fundraiser for him and appearing beside him during a White House announcement on artificial intelligence initiatives.
As international actors continue to debate Gaza’s future administration, the quiet but persistent presence of Blair in Jerusalem—documented extensively by Haaretz—suggests that he remains deeply involved in behind-the-scenes diplomacy, even as political resistance reshapes his prospective role.
