Good morning. Tony Blair, the former Labour leader who was under pressure to resign due to the disastrous decision to go to war with Iraq, is back in the headlines this week. Blair has attended a meeting with Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to discuss plans for Gaza.
No, you have not woken up and jumped back two decades in time. The former British prime minister has been working on a proposal for the governance in Gaza after the war ends. The 72-year-old has reportedly been doing so with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the Israel minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer, and the Emirati foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed.
Who appears to be missing from this roundtable on who will govern Palestinians in Gaza? The Palestinians themselves. While reporting suggests Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas was briefed, there is little indication that Palestinians have any real say.
But Palestinians are not voiceless as our current leaders often imply. Nor must they remain at the mercy of those more powerful. They also have their own plan for a postwar.
To understand what leaders of Palestinian civil society are calling for, and what drives their continuing struggle for self-determination, I spoke to Ubay Al-Aboudi, director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development and member of the steering committee of the Palestinian NGO Network. He is based in Ramallah.
Until then, the headlines have you covered.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/29/friday-briefing-why-are-palestinians-shut-out-of-post-war-plans-while-tony-blair-discusses-their-future
