Middle East in flames – but where is peace envoy Blair?
So this must be the season of goodwill, right? Yes, in your dreams.
Try convincing the Palestinian inhabitants of the Gaza strip on the receiving end of Israeli rockets about the "peace to all men" lark.
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The latest round of death, bloodshed, destruction and misery looks to me very much like business as usual.
As we enter a new year, the old-year hypocrisy shows no sign of changing; the incumbents of 10 Downing Street and the White House seek to pin the blame on Hamas, while attempting to exonerate Israel, at the same time as making spineless, do-nothing noises urging both sides to exercise "restraint".
A fat lot of good that'll achieve. We may as well send for Blair. After all, he is supposed to be the Middle East "peace envoy", isn't he?
So why hasn't he rushed to make a pronouncement and get involved? Could it be a reluctance to intervene, a repeat of his failure to call for an Israeli ceasefire when it blitzed Lebanon for 34 solid days in 2006?
I assume Blair does read newspapers and watch TV these days?
Maybe he's exiled himself to a remote island, where they have neither of those things, to pen the latest episode of his memoirs or cobble together material for his latest after-dinner speech.
If you're out there, Tone, the world needs you...
Keith Davis Bath
4 Comments
by a g rawlings, truro
Sunday, January 04 2009, 2:51PM
“Do you no why we went to war against Germany? Was it for the support of Poland? I don't think so, if we did, why no war against Isreal? I' not a racist, but it was clearly a Jewish war,
we never went on to take on Stalin did we. An no Holocaust for the Poles and Russians who were killed or put into concentration camps, why is that?”
by S Khoury, Bristol
Sunday, January 04 2009, 1:08PM
“I think it is time for disillusion. All this talk of human rights, establishing democracy, abolishing poverty is a smoke screen. Its what we as public want to hear. The truth is, all of this doesn't dictate our (Or any other country's) foreign policy. The only thing that matters is interests, markets, raw materials, strategic alliances etc. etc.
Israel's war on Palestine, is really a war on all revolutionary movements in the area. After the devastating blow Hezbollah dealt Israel in 2006, oppressed people have started to rise, hopes in better futures and real democracies have started to emerge. This is scaring the hell out of Israel and its allies Egypt, Saudi and some other Arabic countries. It is so dangerous for these powers to have a popular movement in the area that is actually working for the people (In this case it is two movements, Hezbollah and Hamas) These powers represent the Western interests in the middle East and the European governments will do all they can practically to support their allies in the area against Hamas and Hezbollah and at the same time keeping a smoke screen covering our eyes with completely useless public condemnations etc. without backing them up with any real efforts.”
by a g rawlings, truro
Friday, January 02 2009, 9:28PM
“Colin, have you not heard the old saying?DON'T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU. Do you get the picture?”
by Colin McNamee, Baltonsborough, Somerset
Thursday, January 01 2009, 10:35AM
“In Barbados probably, planning world domination.”