The Tony Blair Institute was involved in a project aimed at creating a postwar plan for Gaza, which included proposals to revitalize the enclave's economy through initiatives such as a "Trump Riviera" and an "Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone," the Financial Times reported on Monday.

According to a slide deck obtained by FT, the plan, spearheaded by Israeli businessmen, utilized financial models developed by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to envision Gaza’s transformation into a bustling trade and economic hub.

Dubbed the "Great Trust" and presented to the Trump administration, the plan suggested incentivizing the relocation of half a million Palestinians, while simultaneously seeking to draw private investment for Gaza's development.

Although the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) neither created nor officially supported the final version of the slide deck, two of its staff members, affiliated with the former UK prime minister's organization, were involved in discussions through message groups and calls as the project progressed, according to sources familiar with the initiative

Turning Gaza into 'Dubai' after ethnic cleansing

A comprehensive postwar Gaza proposal drafted by a TBI staff member was circulated within the group for review, featuring ambitious concepts such as a "Gaza Riviera" with Dubai-style artificial offshore islands, blockchain-powered trade systems, a deep-water port to connect Gaza to the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, and tax-friendly special economic zones.

According to the Financial Times, The TBI document argued that Gaza's catastrophic conflict had presented "a once-in-a-century opportunity to rebuild Gaza from first principles...as a secure, modern prosperous society," framing the devastation as a potential foundation for radical transformation.

The slide deck prepared by the Israeli businessmen, which extended to more than 30 pages, showed some overlap with the paper written by TBI’s staff but also differed significantly in various aspects.

Moreover, the institute’s document made no mention of the relocation of Palestinians, a proposal that had been promoted earlier this year by US President Donald Trump but faced widespread international condemnation.

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Tony Blair Institute denies involvement despite evidence

When initially contacted by the FT about its involvement in the project, a TBI spokesperson strongly denied the claims, stating that the story was categorically wrong and emphasizing that TBI had no role in preparing the deck, which was described as a BCG deck, nor did it provide any input into its contents.

After being presented with the TBI spokesperson's denial, the FT shared evidence including a 12-person messaging group that was used for the project, which contained two TBI staff members alongside BCG consultants and the Israeli businessmen, as well as an unpublished TBI document that had been circulated within the group under the title "Gaza Economic Blueprint."

When presented with the evidence, the TBI spokesperson said: "We have never said TBI knew nothing about what this group was working on or that they weren't on calls in which the group discussed their plans," while maintaining their previous stance about the organization's lack of involvement in creating the deck.

The Tony Blair Institute claimed that when it is present in meeting groups to discuss postwar plans, it is not involved and "essentially in listening mode", claiming that the internal TBI document looked at proposals made by various parties and is one of many of its kind.

The spokesperson further clarified TBI's position, stating that the organization had definitively not shared its internal document to support BCG's work while acknowledging that TBI staff had reviewed the slide deck but played no role in its creation. They emphasized that it would be inaccurate to imply any collaboration between TBI and the group in developing their Gaza plan.

The institute told FT that they sought a "better Gaza for Gazans," emphasizing that “It has never been about relocating Gazans, which is a proposal TBI has never authored, developed or endorsed.”

BCG's role in Gaza

Last week, the FT reported that the BCG team had been involved in creating models for Gaza's reconstruction, despite the consulting firm stating that this work directly violated an explicit directive prohibiting engagement in such a project.

TBI suggested that the information about its alleged involvement had been provided to the FT by individuals seeking to shift attention away from their participation in the project.

The project was spearheaded by a group of Israeli businessmen, including tech investor Liran Tancman and venture capitalist Michael Eisenberg, who according to sources familiar with their involvement had previously outlined the initial concept and played a key role in establishing the GHF.

GHF to be used as a honey-pot for Palestinians

According to FT, Phil Reilly, a security operations head for GHF and former CIA/BCG adviser, met Tony Blair in London in March. While TBI stated Blair merely listened and emphasized TBI isn't part of GHF, Reilly's spokesperson claimed Blair's team initiated the meeting to discuss Safe Reach's checkpoint operations during a prior ceasefire. Both sides disputed who requested the meeting.

The businessmen's postwar plan envisioned an expanded aid operation providing temporary housing for Palestinians staying in Gaza, while offering $9,000 per person in cash payments and subsidies to encourage about a quarter of the population to leave.

The final slide, called "The Great Trust: From a Demolished Iranian Proxy to a Prosperous Abrahamic Ally" (with "Great" standing for Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration, and Transformation), has been circulated to current and former US officials, Middle Eastern governments, and other key stakeholders, according to sources familiar with the matter.