Israel wants Tony Blair as humanitarian coordinator in Gaza. Well, knowing the former British prime minister’s background they would wouldn’t they. It is doubtful if the civilized world will be very enthusiastic. The smooth-tongued fast-footed ex-premier, who avoided prosecution over the Iraq invasion, would oversee medical treatment and evacuations.

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CONTROLLED PRESS: ‘Israel is considering hiring former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as humanitarian coordinator for Gaza in an attempt to alleviate international concern over excessive civilian casualties in the enclave.’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the world’s most hated state leader, desperately hopes Blair’s diplomatic experience in the region will lend legitimacy to Israel’s military campaign and quell international demands for a ceasefire amid a massive humanitarian crisis and thousands of civilian deaths.

Blair served as envoy to Israel and Palestine for the Middle East Quartet, made up of the US, EU, UN and Russia, after stepping down as leader of the UK. A post for which he was entirely unsuitable and he emerged empty-handed.

Blair’s office told the outlet that while he (Blair) maintains an office in Israel and has had ‘conversations with people in the region and other places in order to see what can be done’ regarding the conflict, ‘he has not been given or offered a position’ by Netanyahu’s office. However, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday that he is ‘discussing the situation’ and is open to the possibility.  

Blair released a statement in the days after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel declaring that ‘decades of conventional Western diplomacy around the Israeli/Palestinian issue will need to be fundamentally re-thought’ as the status quo had only led to ‘grief and tragedy’ for both Israel and Gaza.

The former prime minister’s appointment as peace envoy for the Quartet in 2007 was highly controversial due to his having led the UK into a disastrous war with Iraq in 2003.

Tony Blair narrowly avoided prosecution for war crimes after an official inquiry led by Sir John Chilcot found he disregarded warnings about the risks of military action. It also found he deliberately exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein and his alleged weapons of mass destruction in order to join the American invasion. 

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Many in the UK – a third of those polled in 2017 – still believe Blair should be tried as a war criminal, a sentiment shared by Hans Blix, the UN weapons inspector whose findings that Hussein did not have WMD were ignored in favor of going to war. You can share this story on social media: