Israeli media claims mediation role for Tony Blair

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, a written statement from the Palestinian Presidency condemned and rejected efforts related to the removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The statement said, "We will demand that the British government not allow the fate and future of the Palestinian people to be toyed with in this manner. Furthermore, we will call on the United Nations Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) to do everything possible to prevent such actions that violate international law and international legitimacy."

The statement noted that Blair's involvement in the process of expelling Palestinians from Gaza "represents an intervention and action that serves only Israel's interests, harms the Palestinian people and their rights, and pushes them to leave their land," and included the following remarks:

"It seems that Tony Blair is completing the Balfour Declaration, which was issued by the British government in partnership with America in 1917, which caused the Palestinian people to experience tragedies and ignited dozens of wars in the region."

The statement emphasized that the Palestinian Presidency has declared Blair persona non grata in Palestinian territories.

Israel's Channel 12 television had claimed that Israel "plans to appoint former British Prime Minister Blair as a mediator to convince Western countries to accept Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip after the end of the war."

The television report alleged that Blair made a secret visit to Israel last week and held private meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Cabinet member Benny Gantz to discuss this issue.

Denial of Channel 12 report

On the other hand, a source close to Blair denied the information in the Channel 12 report in a statement to the Jerusalem Post newspaper. Stating that the allegations regarding Blair's connection to the displacement of Palestinians were baseless, the source said that such a discussion never took place and that Blair would not discuss such a proposal.

In the Israeli media on November 14, 2023, it was also claimed that former British Prime Minister Blair "wanted to be appointed as a humanitarian coordinator for Gaza," and that claim was also denied.

Blair's Middle East record

The traces of the Blair administration, which was in power in the UK from 1997 to 2007, can still be seen in the Middle East today. When considering the effects of Blair's decisions regarding the Middle East to this day, his decisions regarding the invasion of Iraq stand out first and foremost.

It was revealed in the Chilcot Report, published in 2016, that Blair, who was criticized for his support for the 2003 US-led coalition invasion of Iraq, had given assurances of support to then-US President George Bush without obtaining the approval of the British Parliament.

During the invasion of Iraq, in which 30,000 British soldiers participated, more than 200,000 Iraqis and nearly 200 British soldiers died. While the Chilcot Report revealed that Blair misled Parliament regarding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Blair apologized at a press conference, stating that he felt regret and sorrow. Blair also stood by the US in the invasion of Afghanistan, and criticized the US decision to withdraw from Afghanistan by saying, "Faith in the West will weaken."