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Netanyahu praises Blair efforts as he leaves Quartet envoy post
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday announced that he would step down as the Middle East envoy of the Quartet (United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia) following eight years in the role.
According to reports, Blair’s resignation was officially accepted yesterday by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and he will leave his duties next month. A statement from the Quartet expressed “deep appreciation” towards Blair and for his “unwavering commitment to the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace.” Blair’s remit on his appointment in 2007 was to foster Palestinian economic development in order to lay some groundwork for the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a peace deal with Israel.
Indeed, Blair helped ease movement for Palestinian workers and brought Palestinian products to market. The Quartet also said that Blair helped boost tourism in Bethlehem and secured mobile phone investment in the Palestinian West Bank worth £225 million. However, some reports have said that Blair was frustrated at the purely economic focus of his remit and he wished to play a greater role in political diplomacy.
No official reason has been given for Blair’s decision to relinquish his role. Many reports say that his position was compromised by business interests in the region and a perceived favouritism towards Israel. However, many felt that Blair’s role was increasingly unclear, with the United States having spearheaded the most recent round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the European Union’s new foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini keen to play a major role in resuming negotiations.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to Blair’s decision, saying, “In recent years Tony Blair has made great efforts to advance stability and peace in the region.” Netanyahu added that Blair “worked to advance important economic projects between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and in his wisdom helped many times to reconcile the positions of the parties in the region, including during times of crisis.”