Simon Carr: Blair shows Britain's got talent for the unfathomable answer
Sketch: Was anything said yesterday to suggest he'd made any progress? No
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Independent Minds
Our envoy has come back to tell us how his Middle East peacemaking is getting on. As there's so much at stake, let's put cynicism aside. Trying to get Israel and Palestine to lie down peacefully is heroic of Tony Blair. It's an even more ambitious task than his other endeavour – to reconcile, through his foundation, the world's religions. Britain's certainly got talent.
He has maps and facts and projects for peace, tourism, sewage, economic growth, and democracy. He has taken stock of the situation out there. He has looked at the checkpoints, the settlements, the villages and industrial estates. He knows all the structures, the strictures, the officials, the officers. He has talked to them all, seen each side of every question.
And what's the upshot, or the outcome? What does he think?
Well, it's all very difficult obviously. In broad terms, you've got Palestinians and then there's the state of Israel. Each side has "a reality problem" you see. But ultimately, "if people really want to sort it out, they'll sort it out". Reasonable people with modern attitudes will need to isolate the extremists. That would do it. And while it's complex on one level it's simple on another. If, for instance, people decided "to go the Ghandi route" non-violence "would change the dynamic overnight". Maybe more quickly; before bedtime, according to optimists in the press gallery.
But which side was being unreasonable? Clearly, Tony couldn't say anything about that because "seeing the other point of view" is the essence of a "credible process".
So yes, there were illegal settlements being raised on Palestinian land. And yes, Palestinians were bombing Israel from Gaza, and yes villagers weren't allowed permits to rebuild their houses while outposts were springing up in the hills above them, and...
The problems were well-aired. But what of progress?
Was anything said yesterday to suggest he'd made any of that? Not... as such. Not progressive progress going forward. Though we can't be absolutely sure because, "at certain points in a peace process ambiguity can be helpful".
Eventually, they managed to corner him and presented him with a direct question. What had to come first: Israel ending illegal settlements, or Palestinians abjuring violence?
He said (in full): "at the very least what you cannot have is, pending the outcome of the negotiation, for the facts on the ground to be shifted against making a Palestinian settlement even harder to negotiate".
I think that meant: "No." Depending on what the question was again. It must be very hard to keep at this hopeless, thankless, entirely dispensable job.
Or maybe it's a live audition for the role of EU president – to emerge unvilified by either side from the most quarrelsome region on earth. That's quite a new talent Britain's got. We've never had that before.
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Comments
Blair was nothing more than a sleazy , vacuous chancer on the make. Still Israel gave him a nice big paycheck so he has achieved something - well done Blair.
Israel actually feels broadly comfortable now, they have confined the Palestinian problem and can do so pretty much indefinitely. they have no need to give in too much to Palestinian demands. The Palestinians are still adept and annoying everyone, so why change?
The Palestinian's best chance is a peaceful non stop non lethal protest. they shoud all learn to sing 'we shall overcome'; they should pick flowers; Then the women and children should march en masse to each checkpoint and walk up to Israeli soldiers and out flowers in their guns, while being watched by CNN etc. the leadership should disarm their followers and renounce violence no matter what Israel does.
Such protests will turn even American sentiment towards them. Additionally either they will be able to march through the checkpoints or Israeli soldiers will kill them or beat them - either way they win. They will have to be prepared to take injuries and even death, but that wont be worse than the current situation. Peaceful assertive protests and a commitment to live side by side with Israel in peace, this will turn public sentiment towards them and Israel wont have a leg to stand on.
And we know it wont happen because in reality the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world want israel's violent destruction. If anyone actually trie to make such a policy work he would be killed by a faction form Hezbollah or Hamas or some new swaggering loud-mouthed group.
Robert Bridges
I thank you
Firozali A. Mulla