Blair down under
PEACE in the Middle East is a struggle between those with open minds and those with closed minds, according to Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair.
PEACE in the Middle East is a struggle between those with open minds and those with closed minds, according to Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair.
Speaking to a 500-strong business lunch in Melbourne on Wednesday, Blair expressed optimism that the impasse between the Israelis and Palestinians would one day be resolved. But he characterised the challenge as a cultural one, as well as one of security.
“There is a security challenge in all this, but there is also a challenge in creating a world where people of different faiths live together and work together.”
Peace between the Israelis and Palestinians would not only lead to an improved security situation, he said, but would also have significant economic benefits.
He called Israel’s technology success “incredible”, and said this know-how and innovation would benefit the entire region, should peace be allowed to prosper.
“You think about if there was peace there [in Israel], how it could be a gateway to the whole Arab world, the potential is enormous, this is where the open-minded people have got to stand up.”
The former British Labour prime minister added that a unilateral peace initiative – which the Palestinians are working towards by calling for a United Nations vote on their future statehood – will not work.
“Nothing that happens by unilateral vote will substitute for negotiation,” he said. “This is what I am working on right now, getting the negotiations back on track.
Blair visited Australia as a guest of Anthony Pratt, who called Blair “one of the world’s great leaders”.
NAOMI LEVIN
Photo: Peter Haskin
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