(Reuters) – The Palestinian Authority is ready to work with U.S. President Donald Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in their efforts to consolidate the Palestinian Authority and begin reconstruction, a senior Palestinian official told Blair on Sunday.
Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza envisions the possibility of the Palestinian Authority, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and led by President Mahmoud Abbas, eventually taking control of Gaza, but only after completing reforms. Abbas lost control of Gaza to the militant group Hamas in 2007.
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Trump’s proposal says Hamas must end its rule over Gaza and calls for the territory to be administered by a Palestinian technocratic committee overseen by an international body chaired by him and including Blair.
Hussein al-Sheikh, deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said he had met with Blair to discuss the next day in Gaza and make Trump’s plan to “stop the Gaza war and establish lasting peace in the region a success.”
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“We confirm our willingness to work with President Trump, Mr. Blair and partners to consolidate the ceasefire, the entry of aid, the release of hostages and prisoners, and then begin with recovery and reconstruction,” Sheikh wrote in the X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected that Gaza be administered by the Palestinian Authority.
