Having handed over the premiership to Gordon Brown, Tony Blair was appointed by the Quartet of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations as Special Envoy to the Middle East and his terms of reference premised upon the fact that he should not talk to any groups who ‘don’t recognise Israel’.
Such a remit ensures that all of the diplomatic skills in the world will achieve little. Hamas, elected to government in democratic and fair elections that the Palestinians were proud of, and which were endorsed by all independent observers, has been boycotted by most of the international community, despite signs that it was beginning to move on the recognition issue anyway.
In any other situation, third party mediation would help broker a lasting peace, but given this restriction, alongside the fact that Tony Blair refused to call for a ceasefire when Israel was bombing Lebanon in 2006, he has limited credibility in the region. It’s a poor starting point. Israel has made no secret of its delight in Tony Blair’s appointment, so let us watch closely.
There is much speculation on the forthcoming international Middle East conference expected to open in the United States in November, or possibly December, as the date gets put back.
The conference is supposed to open dialogue between the Palestinians and Israelis but clearly Abbas, having been propped up by the US since the election, is only representing a proportion of Palestinians. Bush represents the Israeli point of view and Olmert represents the Israeli point of view too. I would like to be optimistic but it is not easy, and meanwhile the Palestinians starve.
The Israeli government knows no bounds and it is up to the international community, which includes Britain, to draw boundaries where Israel will not. The contradiction in what Israel says and what it does is what ensures that so much of its actions go unheeded. Surely we cannot stand by and watch Israel’s latest move, as it sets about cutting off electricity to Gaza which is already experiencing a humanitarian crisis. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has condemned such a move, along with other relevant and significant individuals such as John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. Israel will do many things to punish the Palestinians for their resistance to occupation, but it will not stop the occupation.
As the Palestinian economy dwindles, other problems soar and the region has seen an increase in chronic diseases, including chronic malnutrition (particularly in children under five), water shortages, educational quality as well as absences, insecurity and much much more. A 2006 World Bank survey concluded that three quarters of Palestinians suffer from depression. The impact of food shortages, a climate of massive unemployment, and getting from A to B due to massive movement and access restrictions cannot be overestimated.
Two years of restrictions upon Gaza in particular (since disengagement) have truly taken their toll and it is difficult to see how anything other than a lifting of all sanctions upon it can change anything. The situation is repeatedly being referred to as an humanitarian crisis of dire proportions, particularly since the June 2007 events which have seen Gaza become a exclusion zone. To those of us who have watched the ongoing matrix of control become so entrenched as to be virtually irreversible, we believe it to be nothing short of an apartheid system.
As the settlements continue to grow, support for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and associated groups becomes greater. There is a lobby of parliament on 28 November so make an appointment with your MP and get down to the House of Commons.
Having handed over the premiership to Gordon Brown, Tony Blair was appointed by the Quartet of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations as Special Envoy to the Middle East and his terms of reference premised upon the fact that he should not talk to any groups who ‘don’t recognise Israel’.
Such a remit ensures that all of the diplomatic skills in the world will achieve little. Hamas, elected to government in democratic and fair elections that the Palestinians were proud of, and which were endorsed by all independent observers, has been boycotted by most of the international community, despite signs that it was beginning to move on the recognition issue anyway.
In any other situation, third party mediation would help broker a lasting peace, but given this restriction, alongside the fact that Tony Blair refused to call for a ceasefire when Israel was bombing Lebanon in 2006, he has limited credibility in the region. It’s a poor starting point. Israel has made no secret of its delight in Tony Blair’s appointment, so let us watch closely.
There is much speculation on the forthcoming international Middle East conference expected to open in the United States in November, or possibly December, as the date gets put back.
The conference is supposed to open dialogue between the Palestinians and Israelis but clearly Abbas, having been propped up by the US since the election, is only representing a proportion of Palestinians. Bush represents the Israeli point of view and Olmert represents the Israeli point of view too. I would like to be optimistic but it is not easy, and meanwhile the Palestinians starve.
The Israeli government knows no bounds and it is up to the international community, which includes Britain, to draw boundaries where Israel will not. The contradiction in what Israel says and what it does is what ensures that so much of its actions go unheeded. Surely we cannot stand by and watch Israel’s latest move, as it sets about cutting off electricity to Gaza which is already experiencing a humanitarian crisis. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has condemned such a move, along with other relevant and significant individuals such as John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. Israel will do many things to punish the Palestinians for their resistance to occupation, but it will not stop the occupation.
As the Palestinian economy dwindles, other problems soar and the region has seen an increase in chronic diseases, including chronic malnutrition (particularly in children under five), water shortages, educational quality as well as absences, insecurity and much much more. A 2006 World Bank survey concluded that three quarters of Palestinians suffer from depression. The impact of food shortages, a climate of massive unemployment, and getting from A to B due to massive movement and access restrictions cannot be overestimated.
Two years of restrictions upon Gaza in particular (since disengagement) have truly taken their toll and it is difficult to see how anything other than a lifting of all sanctions upon it can change anything. The situation is repeatedly being referred to as an humanitarian crisis of dire proportions, particularly since the June 2007 events which have seen Gaza become a exclusion zone. To those of us who have watched the ongoing matrix of control become so entrenched as to be virtually irreversible, we believe it to be nothing short of an apartheid system.
As the settlements continue to grow, support for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and associated groups becomes greater. There is a lobby of parliament on 28 November so make an appointment with your MP and get down to the House of Commons.