Blair hopes Middle East talks to resume within weeks
Quartet envoy says both sides want talks; stresses importance of ending Gaza blockade.
By Reuters Tags: George Mitchell Tony Blair Middle East peace Israel newsMiddle East envoy Tony Blair said on Saturday he hoped Israelis and Palestinians would resume peace negotiations within weeks, after a break of more than a year.
The former British prime minister represents the "quartet" of Middle East negotiators, and Washington recently said he would be intensifying his work with U.S. negotiator George Mitchell to broker talks.
"I hope we can get it going in the next weeks, but who knows," Blair told Reuters during a visit to Nigeria. "The Israelis want to get into negotiation, the Palestinians want to get into negotiation, the question is the terms."
A big part of Blair's role as envoy for the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia is helping Palestinians prepare for eventual statehood alongside Israel.
He said efforts would increase not only to strengthen the Palestinian economy and allow greater freedom of movement, but also to do more to promote the rule of law on the Palestinian side and ensure a functioning criminal justice system.
Peace talks have not resumed since Israel's war with Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, due largely to a Palestinian demand that Israel impose a complete freeze on settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and Israel's refusal to do so.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected a limited and temporary building freeze imposed by Israel late last year as insufficient, and wants assurances that renewed talks would quickly move to seeking a final deal on key issues.
Blair said proposed indirect or "proximity talks" through Israeli and Palestinian envoys could have a role to play "but in the end the key thing is to get to the point where the two sides are talking about the core issues and talking about them in a serious way".
A top priority on the ground, he said, was easing Israeli restrictions on the Gaza Strip, ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement which refuses to recognise the Jewish state. The blockade has intensified the misery in the poor and crowded territory.
"We need to obviously stop attacks coming out of Gaza," he said.
"But the single most important thing is to get this blockade of Gaza lifted or eased so that we can deal with the security issues in the proper way for Israel, but allow the people some prospect of seeing that there is a better future."
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yet again. He has a big mouth and little else. He was a lousy UK Prime Minister and is full of his own self importance and failed time and time again - one wonders how he services his Cherie.
What should the Palestinians do to free 10000 prisoners?
"We" need to stop attacks coming out of Israel. What a useless idiot...cant the British find something for him to do? Like maybe tend the Queens garden?
This is what Hamas has worked against incessantly. Hamas is afraid of this because by keeping their people in tough living conditions they keep them angry, a great breeding ground for shahid's. While Hamas had a wonderful oppurtuity to turn Gaza into a country they chose war instead. Building and improving homes, apartments, roads, sewers, water supply, electrical, telephones lines etc.that's what government does. Gaza was/is ripe for these projects and it would have created thousands and thousands of jobs, boosted the economy and there would have been no need for the blockade. That's not what Hamas wanted, it's that simple. They prefer to keep their people in poverty and dream of destroying Israel, rather than build a country. That was the choice Hamas had, build a country of their own, or destroy Israel. They chose the latter, blame them.
international laws. 'Israel should stop supplying Gaza with water, electricity, gas, food and medicine', says Realist. An army laying siege to a civilian area, as Israel is doing with its blockade, MUST under international law provide adequate food, water, medicine and utilities for the civilian population, allow them safe passage from the besieged city, not use military force against civilian areas, etc. So say the Geneva Conventions. Which are the part of the body of international law that covers state conduct in warfare. So no Realist, Israel cannot do any of the things you propose unless you want a second Goldstone report and the whole cabinet despatched to the Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity. Some Israelis just don't get this legal business, there seems to be a Zio feeling that Israel is somehow above the laws of the world. Pinochet, Pol Pot, Milosevic and the like tried that one too, but it honestly doesn't play so well outside the rogue state's borders.
Blair is a great hypocrite and liar,it is better for him to set and relax ,since he have been working in this matter the issues are going worse and complicated till it reached finaly to the hands of the brave and honest leader Sayed Naserallah ,so there is no need for Mr.B LAIR.
The priority must be to bring Shalit home. Israel should stop supplying Gaza with water, electricity, gas, food and medicine.
Blair is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
The last standing hardcore defender of invading Iraq now has become envoy for the Middle East. Does that include Iraq, which after all lies in the ME? If Iraq goes wrong after US withdrawal, will he be send as peacemaker for the by then in civil war engaged Iraqi's? If that happens I run danger of becoming an Evangelical who starts believing Magog has arrived.