05 November 2007
The special envoy of the International Quartet for the Middle East, former UK prime minister Tony Blair, has called on Israelis to drop their skepticism about peace with the Palestinians. Blair told the Jerusalem Post that it was "not impossible" that a future Palestinian state would become a "stable partner for Israel." Blair said Israelis had no other alternative but to "put it to the test." He added that he understood Israeli security needs. "I get your security situation completely," Blair said. "If I was you, I would not yield on security at all. That's not my point. My point is a different one: If a Palestinian state is ultimately in your long-term interest for reasons of security, you should try and make it happen on the right terms."
Tony Blair is currently on a visit to the Middle East. The trip comes ahead of a conference at Annapolis in the United States in which the Palestinians and Israelis hope to present a document on how to solve the hurdles left in the peace process. US president George W. Bush hopes the gathering, expected to take place this year, will lead to a full resumption of negotiations after nearly seven years.
Meanwhile, Israel’s prime minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel and the Palestinians could take significant steps toward a peace deal during president Bush's remaining time in office. He was hopeful of a breakthrough within months, Olmert told the Saban Forum for Israeli-US dialogue. "Annapolis will not be where negotiations take place, but certainly where they begin," Olmert said, adding: "I am committed to the vision of two states, the Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state for the Palestinian people. There will be no negotiations over this vision, there will be no concessions over this basic goal, so succinctly phrased by US president George W. Bush: Two states for two peoples.”
