Entire world is responsible
for Gaza’s fate, says Blair
The former British leader turned Mideast peace envoy
talks to Nahum Barnea about his revolutionary three-pronged plan for the
troubled Gaza Strip, even as the countdown to the next conflict has started.
On Sunday, Tony Blair was in the Gaza Strip, his
first visit there since 2009. It was a surprise visit - his guards deliberated
up until the last moment whether to allow him to join the convoy.
He started his visit at a checkpoint in the Hamas-run
territory. He avoided meeting the Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, but met
three members of the Government of National Consensus established last year in
an attempt to end years of infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian
Authority – the ministers for Labor, Justice and Welfare.
The convoy took the western road, through Beit Lahia
and the Shata refugee camp. They took him to Saja’iyya to see the destruction
from Operation Protective Edge last summer; they took him to an UNRWA school to
see how Gazans who lost their homes are now living.
The highlight of the visit was a meeting with 90
businesspeople - old and young. They received him extremely warmly, and he
flashed them his million-dollar smile. And at the end, they all stood in line
for a selfie with him.
Tony Blair in Gaza City. ‘The reality is very
difficult.’ (Photo: AFP)
Blair, now 62, was a Labor Party man who led the
British government for 10 years. His historic achievement was the agreement
that ended the decades-old conflict in Northern Ireland. Immediately after he
stepped down in 2007, he was appointed the Quartet Representative to the Middle
East. He represents the combined will of the US, Russian, the EU and the UN -
if such a will even exists.
He is the region every three to four weeks, when he
meets heads of state, urges them to reconcile, to cooperate and promote peace.
They listen politely, and afterwards do the exact opposite. Like the Cheshire
Cat in Alice in Wonderland, only the smile remains after him.
I met him in Jerusalem on Monday. What did you see in
Gaza, I asked.
“The reality is very difficult,” Blair says. “This is
bad for them, and it’s bad for all of us. The problem goes beyond the physical
destruction of the war; Gaza has been abandoned for years.
“The responsibility for the situation lies on all of
us - the international community, Hamas, the PA, Egypt and Israel. Terror comes
out of Gaza, and the question is what can be done to stop it: Do you open Gaza
up or shut it down? Israel has faced this dilemma for a long time, and now
Egypt is going through the same process. I say - let’s change the reality
completely.”
You’re a practical man, I say, what do you suggest be
done?
“Right,” he replies, “that’s why I say the situation
cannot be left the way it is. It’s important for you, for Israel. You cannot
live with rockets from Gaza. On the other hand, you do not want to reoccupy.
This means that the next military conflict is not far off.
“I suggest acting on three fronts: First,
rehabilitate the water and energy infrastructure, let in construction materials
in a way that will not harm security, (and) support the economy.
“Second, bring about a change in Palestinian politics
- pose difficult questions to Hamas: Will they accept an arrangement with
Israel based on the 1967 lines, are they prepared to end terrorism, are they
prepared to end their ties with outside terror forces?
“Third, Egypt. The Egyptian demands on security from
Hamas must be met - and then that will change its approach towards Gaza.”
What makes you think this is possible, I ask.
“The regional picture,” he states. “I hear from Arab
leaders of state the same things I hear from Israel: ISIS is dangerous, Iran is
dangerous. Israel doesn’t understand how much the regional reality has changed.
The entire region is in a state of upheaval, and we continue to look at the
(Israeli-Palestinian) conflict as if nothing has changed.
Visiting an UNRWA school in Gaza. (Photo: AFP)
You talk of strategic change, I say, but even the
money pledged to reconstruct Gaza has not arrived.
“The money isn’t coming in because at the moment
there’s no united Palestinian government,” says Blair. “The PA and Hamas both
need to change their position. I have always said that the Palestinian unity
government must be based on the peace process.
“Time after time, the two sides to the conflict
(Israel and the Palestinians) were put into a room, on the assumption that if
they sit together, they’ll reach an agreement. I say, first of all, let’s
change the conditions (on the ground). Let’s start with the steps that Israel
can take in order to improve (Palestinian) daily lives. It’s not hard to do
that.”
What do you think about the clash between Netanyahu
and the Obama government, I ask. Can Netanyahu’s trip to Washington prevent the
coming agreement with Iran?
“You have to wait and see
what’s put on the table,” says Blair. “At the end of the day, the Israeli and
American interests are identical. I have no doubt about that.”
As we’re talking, senior Hamas official Mussa Abu
Marzouk announces that his organization has rejected the demands presented by
Blair in Gaza. Blair doesn’t give up. On Monday, he went to Jordan for a
meeting with King Abdullah. He came here from Cairo, where he pushed his
regional vision. Don’t you miss Ireland, I ask. The war there was so simple, so
innocent compared to our wars.
He laughs, a broad, deep laugh. The laugh of a man
who has seen it all and done it all. Kito de Boer, the new head of the Quartet
office who joined our conversation, also laughs. We laughed and laughed, until
it hurt.
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