Former British prime minister Tony Blair met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Thursday 5 November 2026, as Washington pressed to revive Donald Trump’s stalled plan for Gaza. Blair, a senior representative of Trump’s Board of Peace, held the talks as part of efforts to advance the next stages of the Tony Blair Gaza plan, including a Palestinian technocratic committee and an international stabilisation force.
The meetings came days after Israel’s 2026 election left no bloc with a governing majority, and while Herzog was consulting party leaders about who should be tasked with forming the next government. Blair was also due to meet Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot on Friday 6 November, according to KAN News, in a sign that Washington wants the Gaza plan to survive whatever coalition emerges.
Tony Blair Gaza Plan Talks — Quick Reference Summary
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who met | Tony Blair with Benjamin Netanyahu and Isaac Herzog, separately |
| When | Thursday 5 November 2026 |
| Where | Jerusalem, including the President’s Residence |
| Blair’s role | Senior representative of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace |
| Purpose | Advance the next stages of Trump’s plan for Gaza |
| Technocratic committee | Proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, to run civilian administration and restore essential services |
| Stabilisation force | Proposed international force to help establish security arrangements during the transition |
| Plan’s core demand | Demilitarisation of Gaza and removal of Hamas’ governing and military infrastructure |
| Next meeting reported | Blair due to meet Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot on Friday 6 November 2026 |
| Main obstacle | Prolonged deadlock in negotiations with Hamas, with IDF operations in Gaza continuing |
What Blair Discussed With Herzog and Netanyahu in Jerusalem
Blair met Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem between rounds of the president’s consultations with political parties following the election to the 26th Knesset, according to the Jerusalem Post report. He then held separate talks with Netanyahu the same day, with the meetings aimed at advancing Trump’s Gaza plan after Israel’s recent elections, Haaretz reported.
The substance of the visit was the first phase of the American framework. Blair was expected to discuss how a Palestinian technocratic committee could enter Gaza and how an international stabilisation force could deploy, the Jerusalem Post reported. The proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would oversee civilian administration and the restoration of essential services, while the international force would help establish security arrangements during the transition.
Blair is no newcomer to the file. Haaretz noted that he developed a plan last year for the postwar administration of the Gaza Strip, and he attended the Board of Peace’s inaugural meeting in Washington in February 2026. His Jerusalem trip therefore carried the weight of an envoy who helped design the structure he is now selling to Israeli leaders.
Why Washington Is Pushing the Gaza Plan Now
The timing is driven by deadlock. The Jerusalem Post reported that Blair’s visit comes amid continued American pressure to move the initiative forward, despite a prolonged deadlock in negotiations with Hamas and ongoing IDF military operations in the Gaza Strip. Washington wants the civilian and security machinery of the plan in place before the political window closes.
Israel’s unsettled politics add urgency. Partial results from the election put Netanyahu’s bloc on 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, against 48 for the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot, with Arab-led parties on 19 — short of the 61 needed to govern, as the site’s earlier coverage of Israel’s 2026 election explained. Blair’s meetings with both the sitting prime minister and the president, plus a planned session with Eisenkot, suggest the Trump administration is hedging against either man leading the next government.
The push also comes as Washington presses parallel peace efforts on other fronts. US diplomacy is active over Ukraine, where Russian strikes knocked out power in Kyiv this week in the Ukraine blackouts. The Gaza plan is one strand of a wider American effort to lock in postwar arrangements while conflicts are still unresolved.
The Technocratic Committee and Stabilisation Force Explained
The technocratic committee is the civilian half of the plan. Under the proposal reported by the Jerusalem Post, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would run day-to-day civilian government and restore essential services such as water, power and health care. It is designed as a non-partisan body, separate from Hamas and from any future elected Palestinian leadership.
The stabilisation force is the security half. An international force would deploy to help establish security arrangements during the transition, creating the conditions for the committee to work. The Trump plan calls for the enclave’s demilitarisation and the removal of Hamas’ governing and military infrastructure, according to Haaretz, so the force would operate in a Gaza where Hamas no longer holds armed power.
Neither element has yet moved from paper to ground. According to the UN’s September 2026 reporting, the Palestinian committee had still not entered Gaza and the international force had not deployed. Blair’s task in Jerusalem was to turn the agreed framework into a timetable — and that timetable is not publicly verified at the time of writing.
Eisenkot’s Rise Adds a New Face to the Talks
Eisenkot, a former military chief, now leads the opposition bloc that won 48 seats in the partial election count, and he is at the centre of Israel’s coalition talks. Haaretz reported that Blair’s planned Friday meeting with him was intended to establish a working relationship, in case Eisenkot takes a leading role in the next government.
That makes the Eisenkot meeting as significant as the Netanyahu talks. If Eisenkot becomes prime minister or a senior coalition partner, Washington will need his backing for the technocratic committee and the stabilisation force. Blair’s outreach to all three men — Netanyahu, Herzog and Eisenkot — shows the Board of Peace preparing for either outcome of the coalition negotiations.
Whether the Eisenkot meeting actually took place on Friday 6 November is not publicly verified at the time of writing, as it was reported in advance as scheduled rather than confirmed afterwards. Readers should treat it as planned, not completed, until confirmation is published.
What Still Stands Between the Plan and Gaza
The largest obstacle is Hamas. The plan requires the group to give up both governing and military power, and negotiations with Hamas remain deadlocked while IDF operations continue. No public statement from Hamas has accepted demilitarisation, and the committee cannot enter Gaza while the security picture is unresolved.
The second obstacle is political. Until Herzog tasks a candidate with forming a government and a coalition is agreed, no Israeli leader can give Blair a binding commitment. The Board of Peace can build relationships, as Blair did this week, but it cannot sign off the force deployment or the committee’s entry on its own.
The third obstacle is the timetable itself. No date has been announced for the technocratic committee to enter Gaza or for the stabilisation force to deploy, and those dates are not publicly verified. Until they are, the plan remains a framework with an envoy, rather than an operation with a start date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Tony Blair meet Netanyahu and Herzog? Blair, as a senior representative of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, met both men separately on 5 November 2026 to advance the next stages of Trump’s Gaza plan, including a Palestinian technocratic committee and an international stabilisation force.
What is Trump’s Board of Peace? It is the body set up by US President Donald Trump to oversee the Gaza plan, with Blair as one of its senior representatives. It held its inaugural meeting in Washington in February 2026.
What is the Palestinian technocratic committee? The proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would oversee civilian administration and restore essential services in Gaza, as a non-partisan body separate from Hamas.
What is the international stabilisation force? A proposed international force that would deploy to Gaza to help establish security arrangements during the transition, while the technocratic committee takes over civilian administration.
Did Blair meet Gadi Eisenkot? Blair was due to meet the Yashar party leader on Friday 6 November 2026, according to KAN News. Whether that meeting took place is not publicly verified at the time of writing.
Myth-Busting
Myth: Tony Blair is running Gaza. No. Blair is an envoy of Trump’s Board of Peace, pressing Israeli leaders to back the plan. Gaza would be administered by the proposed Palestinian technocratic committee, not by Blair personally.
Myth: The technocratic committee and stabilisation force are already in Gaza. No. As of the UN’s September 2026 reporting, the committee had not entered Gaza and the force had not deployed, and no start date has been announced.
Myth: The Gaza plan has been agreed by all sides. No. Negotiations with Hamas remain deadlocked, and the plan’s demand for demilitarisation has not been publicly accepted. Blair’s meetings were about advancing the plan, not announcing its completion.
