Tony Blair denies controversial talks on Gaza resettlement
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has vehemently denied allegations made by Israeli news channel Channel 12 regarding his involvement in talks about the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza.
The report claimed that Blair, who served as a Middle East envoy after leaving office in 2007, was in Israel last week and engaged in discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior minister Benny Gantz.
Channel 12 suggested that Blair could potentially play a mediation role after the recent conflict with Hamas and act as an intermediary with moderate Arab states regarding the “voluntary resettlement” of Gazans. However, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a non-profit organization founded by Blair in 2016, dismissed the report as a “lie.”
In a statement issued on Monday night, the institute declared, “The story was published without any contact with Tony Blair or his team. No such discussion has taken place. Nor would Tony Blair have such a discussion. The idea is wrong in principle. Gazans should be able to stay and live in Gaza.”
The Channel 12 report surfaced following statements from two far-right Israeli government ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who advocated for the return of Jewish settlers to the Gaza Strip and encouraged the emigration of Palestinians after the conflict with Hamas.
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, condemned these calls for emigration. The recent conflict, triggered by attacks launched by Hamas on October 7, led to the death of over 1,140 people, primarily civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Israel’s robust military response has resulted in more than 22,000 casualties in Gaza, with the majority being women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The situation has raised concerns from United Nations agencies, highlighting a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Approximately 2.4 million Palestinians remain under siege and bombardment, with the majority displaced and facing dire food shortages, residing in shelters and tents.
The tensions persist as the international community closely watches the developments in the region.
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