Uzbekistan supports Palestinians, while the White House holds talks on Gaza

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said during a ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence on August 29 at New Uzbekistan Park in Tashkent that the Palestinian people have the right, as affirmed by United Nations resolutions, to establish their own independent state.

Mirziyoyev emphasized that Uzbekistan maintains a firm position on the creation of a Palestinian state. He also noted that Uzbekistan has consistently provided humanitarian assistance to civilians caught in wars and natural disasters.

On November 11 last year, at an extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit, Mirziyoyev announced Uzbekistan’s readiness to provide free medical treatment to Palestinian children and women injured in the war.

On December 27, 2024, 100 wounded Palestinian children and women, along with their companions, were evacuated to Uzbekistan. They remain guests of the country and will receive full care and support until they are able to return home.

On August 14 this year, Mirziyoyev signed a decree titled “On measures to establish a system of assistance to a group of Palestinian citizens in Uzbekistan based on the principles of state care and compassion.” The decree provides for the integration of Palestinian children into schools, the allocation of allowances for elderly citizens without work experience, and the creation of a special fund, without legal entity status, to finance initiatives addressing Palestinian issues.

Turkey, which has repeatedly expressed strong support for the Palestinians, is calling on countries worldwide to cut ties with Israel. Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmus urged international organizations, including the United Nations, to suspend Israel’s membership.

“Today, I appeal to the international community and propose the suspension of Israel’s membership in all international organizations, including the UN, until it abandons its genocidal policy,” Kurtulmus said.

He recalled that during the 28th session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, lawmakers adopted six joint declarations and a decree by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and other Palestinian territories, labeling them acts of aggression and expansionism.

Kurtulmus argued that Israel’s policies of invasion, destruction, and annexation over recent decades have reached genocidal levels in the past two years.

“Neither oppression, nor cruelty, nor barbarity, nor genocide—none of these words can fully describe what Zionist Israel is doing,” he said.

The parliament speaker claimed that nearly 70,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in the ongoing conflict. He said civilian infrastructure, including schools, synagogues, and hospitals, has been deliberately targeted.

Kurtulmus also stated that Israel’s actions extend beyond Gaza, pointing to increased violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, along with land confiscation and illegal demolitions.

He said plans to build a new settlement in the so-called “People’s Territory” zone are designed to isolate East Jerusalem from the West Bank and have sparked widespread international condemnation.

The speaker also highlighted growing global protests against the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Turkey, which has faced criticism for its strong stance in support of Palestinian statehood, has set an example by severing trade and economic relations with Israel and closing its airspace to Israeli aircraft. Against this backdrop, Gaza’s future was discussed at the White House in talks between Israel’s key ally, the United States, and international figures. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who led the UK into the Iraq War and served for more than a decade as a Middle East envoy, attended the meeting on August 27, drawing attention due to his limited official involvement in recent years.

The meeting’s content has not been disclosed, but U.S. President Donald Trump’s spokesperson Steve Witkoff told Fox News beforehand that discussions would center on a “comprehensive plan for Gaza after the war.”

Although Blair’s presence was unexpected, his experience in the Middle East remains relevant despite his recent focus on private ventures and occasional media appearances.

Palestinian statehood may be at risk

The head of the Palestinian mission in Britain, Ambassador Hussam Zomlot, declined to comment on Tony Blair’s attendance at the White House meeting. However, the former British prime minister is unlikely to inspire much confidence among Palestinians.

After leaving Downing Street in 2007, Blair served for eight years as the Middle East envoy for the Quartet—the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations—a group of major powers seeking to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians. By the time Blair resigned in 2015, the Quartet was widely regarded as ineffective and lacking real authority. Blair’s own performance in the role was also poorly received. Although the Palestinian Authority initially welcomed his appointment, relations quickly deteriorated, and he was nearly declared “persona non grata” in Ramallah, where Palestinian officials accused him of being pro-Israel.

Shibli Telhami, a professor at the University of Maryland and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, noted that Blair’s participation in the White House talks might help Trump appeal to wealthy donors but would likely damage his standing in Middle Eastern and international public opinion.

“Blair’s support for the Iraq War and his close financial and political ties with Middle Eastern rulers have severely tarnished his reputation,” Telhami said.

Palestinians, already deeply distrustful of the Trump administration and its plans for Gaza, are unlikely to find reassurance in Blair’s presence at the discussions. In Britain, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called on Blair to brief Parliament about the White House meeting, saying Britain should “use every opportunity to pressure Trump to do the right thing.”

Gaza "Riviera"

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has previously promoted the idea of placing Gaza under U.S. control, relocating its population, and turning the devastated territory into a “Middle East Riviera.”

Earlier this year, he even shared an AI-generated video on social media showing Gaza transformed into a luxury resort with a golden statue of Trump erected in the area.

One of the strongest supporters of such plans is Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Like Blair, Kushner currently holds no official position. Both men attended the August 27 meeting on Gaza’s future.

According to Israeli media, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer was also in Washington that week. He is known to have close ties with both Kushner and Blair.

Dermer played a key role in the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Gulf states in 2020. The accords were spearheaded by Kushner and considered a major foreign policy achievement of Trump’s first administration.

Dermer and Blair are said to have worked together previously and know each other well.

According to Shibley Telhami, a professor at the University of Maryland, Dermer has collaborated with Blair and Trump’s team on Gaza policy, but no Arab representatives attended the August 27 meeting.

“There were no strong Arab participants, even though the Gaza issue profoundly affects Arab nations, especially Israel’s neighbors. Wealthy Arab states would also be expected to cover much of the costs,” Telhami said.

The “Riviera” concept was first floated during Trump’s meeting in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where it was widely condemned. The Palestinian Authority called the plan “a serious violation of international law,” while European leaders labeled it “unacceptable.”

Telhami believes Blair’s participation could add weight to Trump’s proposal.

“Blair makes Trump’s advisory group look broader. You have people like Witkoff and Kushner, and Blair brings international stature and credibility,” Telhami said.

He added that if Trump’s reconstruction plan moves forward, “huge sums of money” will be required, and Blair’s close financial and political ties to wealthy Gulf states could benefit Trump. What initially appeared to be an offhand remark by Trump has since evolved into a concrete initiative.

According to the Financial Times, a study outlining plans to rebuild Gaza and compensate Palestinians for leaving their land was prepared and presented to the Trump administration.

Later, the FT revealed that the project was led by Israeli businessmen, based on financial models by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), with staff from Blair’s think tank, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), participating in discussions.

A briefing submitted to the British Parliament confirmed that BCG assembled a team to analyze postwar Gaza scenarios, in violation of company policies and direct instructions, and that they had consulted with TBI during the process.

The institute said it has engaged with many groups and organizations on postwar plans for Gaza but denied involvement in drafting this specific plan. A TBI spokesperson declined to comment on Blair’s attendance at the White House meeting, only stressing that the institute has “always worked to build a better future for Gazans.”

“Tony Blair has worked toward this goal since leaving government. This was never about displacing Gazans. TBI has never written, developed, or endorsed such a plan,” the spokesperson said.

As Gazans wait for more details about Trump’s proposal, they are left hoping that Blair’s institute conveyed these positions directly to participants at the White House meeting.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s attacks on Gaza, widely condemned as violations of international law, have killed 63,025 people, most of them women and children, and wounded 159,490 others. Starvation caused by Israel’s blockade and strikes continues to claim lives, with the death toll from hunger reaching 322, including 121 children. These numbers are rising sharply.