Blair is part of Mideast problem: European parliament members
Palestine-Israel-UK, Politics, 7/2/2007

Two Members of the European Parliament have strongly criticized the European Union for consenting to accept the nomination of ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair as the Middle East Quartet's special representative.

"The European Union as a member of the Middle East Quartet is about to squash the hopes of the people of the Middle East for a peaceful two-state solution. Given his active support of the war on Iraq in breach of international law and his failure to exercise any constraining influence on Israel during its bombing campaign on Lebanon. Tony Blair has lost any trust in the Middle East," said Angelika Beer, spokesperson on security policy for the Greens, and Caroline Lucas, member of the Palestine delegation of the EP and chair of the intergroup on peace initiatives.

"The EU has missed the opportunity to free itself from dictates of the US and Britain," said the two MEPs in a joint statement.

"Instead of recognizing the Palestine unity government, it cut structural assistance a year ago. In response to the present conflict in the Gaza Strip, it has given the nod to the Bush administration's fatal policy of isolating and starving out this region."

"By the decision to appoint Blair, the Middle East Quartet would add fuel to the fire it is actually supposed to extinguish. Blair would lack any means to counter the fire threatening to engulf the whole region." added the statement.

Meantime, British peace campaigners seeking justice for the Palestinians expressed skepticism Friday about the appointment of former Prime Minister Tony Blair as the Quartet's envoy to the Middle East.
"As prime minister he frequently expressed support for a just solution for Palestinians and Israelis," a coalition of campaign groups, including the Stop the War Coalition, said.

"However, his actions indicated a partisan approach in which he ignored or played down the numerous violations of international law committed by Israel and refused to recognize the democratically elected government of the Palestinians," they said.

The coalition, which also included the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Palestine Return Center and the British Muslim Initiative, suggested that Blair should see the situation by spending time with the Palestinian people.

"We hope that he will be based in occupied East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank in order to witness the reality of Israel's illegal occupation, apartheid wall and land grab," they said in a joint letter published in the Guardian newspaper.

"For over a year the Israeli, US and UK siege of Palestinians has collectively punished them and attempted to starve them into submission. We are now seeing the fruits of that intervention," the letter said.

It expressed the hope that history can be changed but said that for Blair to be effective in his role, "he will need to uphold international law actively in relation to Israel as well as Palestine."

"As a new envoy Tony Blair has a choice, either to be a genuine broker for peace and justice, or to become the second Balfour and betray international law and human rights by continuing to deny the Palestinian people a just solution," the groups warned.

Previous Stories:
  Blair may be Mideast envoy despite opposition   (6/25/2007)
  Israeli FM discusses boycott of British University and College Teachers of Israel   (6/12/2007)
  Israelis kidnapping Hamas officials as hostages, says UK MP   (5/28/2007)

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