The Blair Option in Palestine

The release of an abducted BBC journalist in Gaza is being seen by some as an attempt by Hamas (which denies any part in the kidnapping) to curry favor with Tony Blair, who on stepping down as Britain’s prime minister was appointed international envoy to Israel and Palestine. Blair has the thankless task of helping the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas build institutions for a viable state, following Hamas’ military takeover of Gaza.

Given the stakes, this is a task worth doing despite the high risk of failure. But unless Blair gets a lot of unexpected support, failure is what will happen.

Four basic facts govern Blair’s role:

To continue reading, please log in or enter your email address.

To read this article from our archive, please log in or register now. After entering your email, you'll have access to two free articles every month. For unlimited access to Project Syndicate, subscribe now.

required

By proceeding, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which describes the personal data we collect and how we use it.

Log in

Featured

http://prosyn.org/AuDSDJQ;

Cookies and Privacy

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. To find out more, read our updated cookie policy and privacy policy.