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LONDON: A leaked draft proposal for a postwar governing body in Gaza has raised alarm among Palestinian figures, who warn it would sideline them in favor of international officials and split Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The 21-page confidential document, seen and and Haaretz, outlined a Gaza International Transitional Authority headed by a chair with sweeping powers.

Among those suggested for roles are Sir Tony Blair, the former UK prime minister, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, Marc Rowan of Apollo Global Management, and Aryeh Lightstone, a former adviser to US President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Israel.

Sources said the names were illustrative and used without permission.

The plan envisages a seven to ten-member council approved by the UN Security Council, with only one Palestinian member “from the business or security sector.”

The council would make “binding decisions,” issue legislation and oversee appointments, according to the document.

Its chair would “set the political and strategic direction for GITA” and lead diplomacy with Israel, Egypt and the US, without mention of the Palestinian Authority.

“You would have a council with a majority of foreign members legislating for Palestinians in Gaza,” said Xavier Abu Eid, a former member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s diplomatic negotiating team.

“There is already suspicion of Tony Blair because of the Palestinian experience when he was the Quartet representative (of the UN, US, EU and Russia mediation group). But the biggest is over what it means for Palestine as a single political entity, something that was recognized even by Israel in the Oslo Accords. This plan effectively legally separates Gaza from the West Bank and does nothing to explain how they will remain part of the same territory,” Eid added.

A source close to Blair said that while he had been involved in talks, “the guiding principle is that Gaza is for Gazans, with no displacement of the population.”

The sourced added: “We do not support or endorse any proposal that involves the displacement of Gazans. The document states that any transitional governing body for Gaza would ultimately return authority to the Palestinian Authority, as part of a pathway toward a Palestinian state.”

Mustafa Barghouti, general-secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, told the Washington Post: “We’ve been under British colonialism already. He has a negative reputation here. If you mention Tony Blair, the first thing people mention is the Iraq war.”

The draft emerged ahead of an Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump told reporters last week: “We are very close to a deal on Gaza.” He promised an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages within 48 hours, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal, according to Arab officials briefed on the plan.

LONDON: Police officers detained 66 people on suspicion of supporting the banned Palestine Action during a protest outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Sunday.

Merseyside Police subsequently de-arrested two individuals, while 64 others were held in custody and have now been released on bail. They were aged between 21 and 83 years old and were apprehended on suspicion of a terrorism offense.

The organizers of the protest, Defend Our Juries, said that around 100 individuals held signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” on Sunday afternoon outside the conference center.

In July, the UK government designated Palestine Action as a “terror organization” after the group took responsibility for damaging two Voyager planes at RAF Brize Norton base. The group is currently awaiting a court ruling on whether it will be permitted to appeal its case in the High Court and challenge the government’s decision.

“I’m risking arrest today under terrorism legislation because, as a former Labour councillor in Liverpool, I am deeply ashamed of how Labour is acting,” Keith Hackett, a 71-year-old protester, told The Independent.

Observers deployed by human rights charity Amnesty International said protesters were “hauled from the streets by police — a scene which just a few months ago would have been shocking but is quickly becoming the norm.”

An Amnesty spokesperson said: “There are serious human rights concerns around not only the proscription of Palestine Action, but also the chilling consequences this decision has had. People are being silenced and peaceful protesters are being pulled from our streets into police vans. The UK’s overly broad terrorism laws are being misused to suppress free speech.”

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: “Instead of shutting down protest, it’s time the Labour Party took the responsibility to prevent genocide seriously and impose blanket sanctions on Israel including stopping the flow of arms from factories in this country.”