Trump backs Blair’s proposal for new governing body in Gaza as Smotrich touts ‘real estate bonanza’

US President Donald Trump has supported former UK prime minister Tony Blair’s proposal for a new governing body in the besieged Gaza Strip, as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich touts a “business plan” to turn Gaza into a “real estate bonanza.”

Blair has drafted a detailed plan, now backed by Trump, to create a so-called Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA) that would temporarily govern the coastal enclave after the genocidal war and before transferring authority to the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by President Mahmoud Abbas, The Times of Israel online newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the proposal, an international board of 7–10 members (including a Palestinian representative, UN and international figures, and Muslim regionally connected members) will be formed that would issue binding decisions and approve legislation.

It also includes various subordinate bodies such as an Executive Secretariat, a civil police force, a judicial board, and a “Property Rights Preservation Unit” to safeguard property ownership and the right of return.

Furthermore, the plan boldly envisions disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of fighters of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, and the creation of an International Stabilization Force to ensure security, borders, and aid operations during the transition.

“The way to end the war is to [get regional stakeholders to] agree on principles for how Gaza will be governed afterward in a manner that Hamas is not involved and not armed and unable to regain power,” an unnamed individual involved in the discussions told The Times of Israel.

The PA, based in the occupied West Bank, would be involved but not in full control at first, since GITA, according to the proposal, is intended to run Gaza immediately after the current war is over, with handover to the PA later based on what the proposal calls performance and reforms.

Smotrich: US has given Israel green light to turn Gaza into 'resort town'

Extremist Israeli politicians and right-wing settlers hold a conference in the parliament, where they said the US had given them the “green light” for the annexation of the besieged Gaza Strip.

“This can only happen if there is a new governing structure in Gaza with a serious security force from the international community. This cannot be the PA in the beginning. The PA will be a partner. They’ll be consulted and coordinated with, but they won’t be the ones managing Gaza on day one. This will happen later on after they reform,” the source added.

The plan includes multi-year financing for reconstruction, security, and aid, while seeking support from Arab states and international donors. However, it faces political hurdles, with some insisting on a path to Palestinian statehood opposed by Israel’s far-right cabinet, and controversial remarks about dividing Gaza adding to tensions.

This is while Smotrich, the occupying regime’s minister of finance, said on Wednesday that Israel had carried out “the first phase of urban renewal” by demolishing Gaza, and it was now working on a plan to start rebuilding it, saying the plans were now “on President Trump’s desk.”

“There’s a business plan — listen to me carefully — there’s a business plan set by the most professional people there is and is on President Trump’s table and how this thing turns into a real estate bonanza. I’m not kidding; it pays off,” he said in a real estate conference in Tel Aviv. 

“I have started negotiations with the Americans — I say this not jokingly now — because I also demand, we paid a lot of money for this war, so we need to divide how we make a percentage on the land marketing later in Gaza,” Smotrich added. 

Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023, it has killed 65,062 people and wounded 165,697, most of them women and children.

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