Cliff Notes
- The Tony Blair Institute has categorically rejected claims of involvement in a project to develop Gaza post-conflict, which was incorrectly attributed to its staffers.
- The initiative, referred to as the “Gaza Riviera,” was presented by an Israeli businessman and included controversial proposals such as the relocation of half a million Palestinians, which TBI disavows.
- TBI maintains that its staff’s participation in discussions does not imply endorsement, emphasising that the final project slide deck is not their work.
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Tony Blair Institute rejects ‘wrong’ report about staffers ‘participating’ in plan for ‘Gaza Riviera’
Staff from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) thinktank are said to have participated in a project to develop Gaza once the war with Israel is over.
The project, which the Institute has firmly distanced itself from, apparently envisages a “Trump Riviera” and an “Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone”.
The plan is outlined in a slide deck, led by an Israeli businessman and used in financial models developed by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the Financial Times said.
Called the Great Trust, and shared with the Trump administration, it reimagines Gaza as a thriving trading hub, the FT reported.
It is also said to propose paying half a million Palestinians to leave the area while attracting private investors to develop Gaza.
Two TBI staffers participated in message groups and calls as the project developed but did not author or endorse the final slide deck, the FT said.
The paper added: “One lengthy document on postwar Gaza, written by a TBI staff member, was shared within the group for consideration.
“This included the idea of a ‘Gaza Riviera’ with artificial islands off the coast akin to those in Dubai, blockchain-based trade initiatives, a deep water port to tie Gaza into the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, and low-tax ‘special economic zones’.”
The FT said that while there was some “overlap”, the Israeli businessman’s proposals “differed significantly” from the paper written by TBI staff.
It went on: “The institute’s document did not refer to the relocation of Palestinians.”
TBI told the newspaper it had no involvement in the slide deck, the FT said.
Since then, the TBI has given a full statement to Sky News.
It reads:
“The characterisation of TBI ‘involvement’ in this BCG deck is wrong and seriously misleading.
“The deck is not a TBI deck, it is not authored by, let alone endorsed, by TBI. TBI was not involved in the preparation of the deck, which was a BCG deck, and had no input whatever into its contents.
“And Tony Blair himself has neither spoken to the people who prepared this deck nor commented on it.
“The TBI team speaks to many different groups and organisations with post-war ‘plans’ for Gaza, but had nothing to do with the authorship of this plan.
“TBI staff participated in two calls, as they have done with many other people with ‘Gaza plans’ and interacting with them doesn’t mean endorsement.
“But we were not involved in drawing up the deck, it is emphatically not TBI work or ‘joint’ work, so it would be completely wrong to suggest it is.
“Of course, we’re opposed to any plan which tries to make Gazans leave Gaza. We want them to be able to stay and live in Gaza.
“The TBI document referred to is an internal TBI document looking at proposals being made by various parties covering all the different aspects of what a post war Gaza could look like, though it is one of many such internal documents; but it was not produced in connection with the BCG work nor given to BCG.”
