Former British Prime Ministr Tony Blair announced that he would step down as the Middle East envoy of the Quartet (United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia) following eight years in the role in which he tried to push forward economic development and institution building in the Palestinian Authority.
Blair sent a letter of resignation to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, saying the resignation will come into effect at the end of June.
According to a source close to Blair, he remains “completely committed to assisting the international community to bring about progress in the Israel-Palestinian diplomatic process, but believes that the best way is without a formal role and by working with key regional players, the US and the EU.”
The source said Blair will use his links in the region to push a new regional approach and strengthen Israel's relations with the Arab world. The source said he believes this is a way to underpin any possible Israeli-Palestinian progress.
However, many felt that Blair’s role was increasingly unclear, with the United States having spearheaded the most recent round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the European Union’s new foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini keen to play a major role in resuming peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
A statement from the Quartet expressed “deep appreciation” towards Blair and for his “unwavering commitment to the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace.”
Blair helped ease movement for Palestinian workers and brought Palestinian products to market. The Quartet also said that Blair helped boost tourism in Bethlehem and secured mobile phone investment in the Palestinian West Bank. However, some reports have said that Blair was frustrated at the purely economic focus of his remit and he wished to play a greater role in political diplomacy.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to Blair’s decision, saying, “In recent years Tony Blair has made great efforts to advance stability and peace in the region.” He added that Blair “worked to advance important economic projects between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and in his wisdom helped many times to reconcile the positions of the parties in the region, including during times of crisis.”