Blair's Plan: The Return of Colonialism Through the Gateway of Investment in Death and Destruction

Sinan Shqideh: Non-Palestinian proposals regarding the "next day" are limited to two visions: an international "constructive" one proposed during the Biden administration and a "deconstructive" one put forth by Trump.

Silvia Abu Luban: Blair's plan states that "Gaza is for Gazans," but the problem lies in that it grants international guardianship greater authority than the Palestinian Authority itself.

Shadi Al-Sharfa: Colonialism is renewing itself in its form; after the Sykes-Picot division of influence between empires, we now see a distribution among multinational corporations.

Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad: Blair's plan seems fanciful and has colonial objectives, based purely on an economic vision considering the Gaza Strip as "real estate" that can be invested in.

Mu'in Awda: The fate of such initiatives will be determined by the results of the ongoing war, making any plan without a clear political solution doomed to failure.

Tawfiq Ta'ma: The plan is closer to the New York document and not an extension of Trump's project, which aims for a radical demographic and economic change in the sector.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's plan for the post-war phase in the Gaza Strip has a mandate from U.S. President Donald Trump and sparks regional and international debate. Blair began preparing the plan in the early months of the war as a framework for the post-war phase, or what is called the "next day." However, it later evolved to also become a basis for ending the war, after the Trump administration concluded that reaching an agreement with the main parties on who will govern Gaza is a key step towards achieving a permanent ceasefire and concluding a swap deal, as clarified and stated by several U.S. officials.

Writers and analysts in conversations with "Al-Quds" believe that Blair's plan shares with its predecessors that it is not an official document, but rather ideas based on consultations with regional and international parties. It attempts to be a bridge between "Trump's Riviera," which derives the idea that the current situation is unsustainable and that there is a need to completely rebuild the system, and the "New York document," which maintains the general political framework represented in the two-state solution and a role for the Palestinians but under long and complex reform conditions. However, they warned that despite the plan's claim that "Gaza is for its people," sovereignty is deferred and conditional, granted only after a series of reforms and criteria set by others. In contrast to this technical framework, there is a stark contradiction with the New York Declaration, which spoke of irreversible steps towards a Palestinian state and ending the occupation.

Dealing with the future of the Palestinian people as a "Lego" game

American affairs analyst Dr. Sinan Shqideh believes that "all non-Palestinian proposals regarding what is called the 'next day' treat the future of the Palestinian people as if they are dealing with a 'Lego' game, limited to two visions: the first is an international 'constructive' one proposed during the previous U.S. administration under President Biden, and the second is a 'deconstructive' one put forth by the current U.S. administration."

He pointed out that between the proposals of deconstruction and construction of the Palestinian "Lego" came what is called Blair's plan, marketed by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, attempting to create impossible common denominators between the "construction" and "deconstruction" teams of the same board, at the same time.

Shqideh confirmed that "the reconstruction plan is proposed by the New York document, which is based on the classical approach supported by international will, including the previous U.S. administration, the European Union, and the United Nations," explaining that its essence is based on the unity of the West Bank and Gaza under the rule of the Palestinian Authority, with the enhancement of its capabilities to enable it to govern, and to revive the two-state solution as a final political horizon, noting that it is not an official document as much as it is an analytical definition indicating the position or collective vision adopted by traditional international diplomacy.

He added: "The plan emphasizes the partnership of the international community through the revival of the Quartet with a central role in sponsoring the political process and financing the reconstruction of Gaza and building the institutions of the Palestinian state," affirming the plan's rejection of any demographic change or permanent occupation in the West Bank or Gaza.

Unofficial vision but reflects Trump's approach