Blair On Middle East Peace Talks: ‘You’ll Never Get The Most Optimal Context…So Let’s Get It Going’
Blair On Middle East Peace Talks: ‘You’ll Never Get The Most Optimal Context…So Let’s Get It Going’
This Saturday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Israel for her first official visit since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was sworn in. Her visit comes at a time when the Middle East peace dialogue appears to have stalled. Clinton “aims to push forward the discussions with Israel and the Palestinians about agreeing to a framework for negotiations.”
In an interview with ThinkProgress today, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair — who previously served as a Middle East envoy — said, “I just think the essential thing is to get the negotiations underway. You’ll never get the most optimal context. … It’ll never be perfect, so let’s get it going.” Blair also emphasized the need to show “real changes on the ground.”
Rather than embrace final-status negotiations for a two-state solution in the Middle East, Netanyahu has recently suggested the idea of forging an “economic peace” with Palestinians. Blair told us this idea isn’t practical because economic issues must be coupled with political progress:
You’ve got to have the political and the economic and the security. But however, having said that, the economics — provided it’s not separated out from the politics or the security — the economics can play a part. The West Bank economy at the moment is growing pretty strongly. … So it’s not all bad news, but you need the political context.
Watch it:
The Wonk Room’s Pat Garofalo asked Blair about the UK experience with community schools. Blair, who was at the Center for American Progress today to discuss how to improve student outcomes, emphasized that the longer hours and valuable services provided by community schools could mean they are “the wave of the future.”
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It’s loney here tonight. As for Tony Blair? He is a war criminal who was Bush’s ‘Lapdog’. Anything Tony has to say, you should turn a deaf ear.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:08 pmThere has been an international consensus on what needs to happen since the seventies. The US needs to get out of the way and Israel needs to sack up and move toward what most of us know NEEDS to happen. If they dont the US should start withdrawing our monetary support. Especially we should tell Israel that they have to STOP violating the fourth Geneva Convention by building settlements on occupied territory or face losing ALL our monetary support.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:09 pmTell the Israeli government that they won’t receive another dime from the USA until they improve the way they treat the Palestinians. That’ll get their attention.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:11 pmAnd don’t forget Israel’s “secret” 200 nuclear weapons. Ask them to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:21 pmIsrael is a red state and has the strongest Fox News audience outside the United States. That place is my very best friend.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:27 pmI believe Cheney should not die w/o becoming official head of a state. He should run against the incumbent for Prime Minister of Israel and relocate Halliburton HQ there.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:28 pmMake that re-relocate
October 28th, 2009 at 9:30 pmI realize Israel is a VERY touchy subject. I have to ask myself, where are the trolls?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:40 pmHello (Hello, hello) ….. Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me…. No really. Is there anybody out there? I know it’s Wednesday and 10:09.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:09 pmBut isn’t there even a troll to debate?
I don’t think is valuable listening to whatever the trolls have to say on this subject.
It will be reductions to “you are either with us or against us” and “LBRULS always side with the enemy, they support terrorists” type of garbage.
Oh, don’t forget “LBRULS will cut and run and make us lose the wars. Just like they did in Nam”
October 28th, 2009 at 10:24 pmjohnny@10, Touche. I just can’t believe how quiet it is tonight. LOL! Maybe they have LIVES to live or something?
October 28th, 2009 at 10:34 pmI would like to write a note of appreciation to the fine staff of Think Progress.
Interviews like this one with top level players conducted with civility and relevance increase the credibility of Think Progress and their contributors.
Damn fine job, folks!
October 28th, 2009 at 10:36 pmCo-exist already.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:40 pmYay, while I dont agree with quite a few of Blairs policies I think its in the best interests to keep a cool head and remember we are all related no matter what your personal view is on religion or evolution.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:44 pmBombing the shit out of them certainly didn’t do much for creating the optimal context.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:45 pmOutside of the comedy that results when a troll’s shoddy argument is systematically dismantled by factual evidence, I find it’s rarely if ever valuable listening to what the trolls have to say on any subject.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:47 pmOn a funny note, Inhofe had a hissy fit at the Climate Warming committee the other day. There he was, in a room full of Repugs and Dems, and he looked like a drowning man in need of a lifejacket. And Rep. King, who made a ass out of himself defending Limpballs at a committee descussing head injuries. Man, are these fools out of touch or what?
October 28th, 2009 at 10:47 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
EugeneDebs is right.
One of the strongest most powerful lobbying group is supporting the conservative views in Is Israel.
There is no hope for a peace in the Middle East as long as this powerful group influences our Lawmakers.
Stepping back a little..On June 3rd 2008 each candidate for President, Hilary, John, and Barack were at the AIMPAC to give their presentation of support for Isreal..That day I thought these must be the “King Makers”..Never had the three been together at any other event.
Back a little further.. Little over 60yrs ago the the UN granted the State of Isreal and defined the boarders..In an Arab mind this is like a cancer growing for this is such ancient land with different cultures..
October 28th, 2009 at 10:57 pmIsreal is always thought of and expressed in value’s that are more Western and not compatible with the cultures around them..Reminds me of “Empty Barrels” always make the most noise” and that is what we listen to.
Reminded again every time I hear “Right to bear arms” and think of Isreal and their neighbors.
There can never be real peace as long as we continue to listen to “Empty Barrels” and ignore the Nations that, well, are speaking with their guns now.
Thank you for your attention.
tom
beefswallower
You ignorant pile of dogshit. I know more about this subject than you EVER WILL. Of course my GOLDFISH knows more about quantum mechanics than you know about virtually anything. You are stupid. You are a liar and a fool and an ignorant punkass troll. So the FBI killing a criminal in a raid has WHAT to do with this subject? WAIT. Who am I asking. Just another pile of dogshit playing Troll says look over there. Just STFU. You are far too stupid for anyone to take seriously even accidentally
October 28th, 2009 at 10:58 pm14 Xisithrus
I don’t see how the Israel/Palestine conflict can be resolved without inserting religious beliefs, or rather, trying to exclude them.
As it is, many of the buyble thumping wingnuts in the USA see Israel as the promised land, the second coming of Jeebus and all that.
Zionists claim those lands as their promised land and await the coming of the real Messiah.
And of course, Palestinians are not going to forget so easily their displacement, deaths and injuries in recent times.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:04 pmBeef, Your concerned about a dog? You wingnuts didnt care about bush killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people in iraq. Over four thousand American service men and women died because of bush and his lies. You repugs and wingnuts are fcking pathetic. On top of that, you people arent happy with all the death you have caused already. Now you want to kill even more innocent people by denying them healthcare.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:14 pmIts a pleasure watching you heartless pieces of sht dwindle into obscurity.Get lost.
KstreetMORON
Dont you ignorant punkass trolls ever get tired of parading your abject stupidity?
October 28th, 2009 at 11:17 pmOh look, the trolls are here.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:20 pmKstreetMORON
So then you NEVER get tired of showing everyone how mindnumbingly stupid you are? Hey you are a moron. You are stupider than the underwater BBQ. You really are no judge about anyone elses intelligence since YOU dont have any. As for progressive intelligence it is obvious you are far too stupid to even RECOGNIZE intelligence much less have the ability to EVER indulge in it. Blow yourself you ignorant piece of filth
October 28th, 2009 at 11:25 pmBovine, you ignorant POS.
Cut to the chase and start posting the all important “demo” and the Billdo talking points.
You picked up that nice moniker yesterday, from Billdo, and today you show up displaying your ignorance.
Vote me down, Bovine.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:26 pmdon’t see how the Israel/Palestine conflict can be resolved without inserting religious beliefs, or rather, trying to exclude them.
Hertzl, the seer of the Jewish state was an self proclaimed atheist. Yes, many people have come to view the creation of the Israeli state as prophecy and that is their belief, the evangelicals believe this as well. The reason for creating a Jewish state, Zionism, was so they would have their own state and not be persecuted. I am not trying to include or exclude religion but thnking its best to just accept that each has their own beliefs and for everyone to just accept and respect that to make it easier to focus on stopping the violence and the back and forth battles that dont serve the people of either land.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:26 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
KstreetMORON
STUPID is free too. Since it is the only thing you have an abundance of you are forced to blow lepers and crackheads for pocketchange to buy your bigmacs
October 28th, 2009 at 11:28 pmbeefswallower
Maybe they look like YOU. Since it is clear no self respecting woman will EVER be in your bed not counting the rubber kind. Just kill yourself you ignorant pile of dogshit
October 28th, 2009 at 11:29 pmWhat the GOP REALLY means … says:
I believe Cheney should not die w/o becoming official head of a state.
I believe that Cheney cannot die, like most demons he can only return to the pit of hell from which he came.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:33 pmI dont know if you read the article I posted about Marine Captain Hoh but he spent millions of US dollars building roads and mosques in Tikrit. Saddams hometown.
Now, you claim poster here dont understand the topics, BE, yet here you are making offhanded remarks about mosques. If you want to debate fine, I can do that, normally I am pretty much kidding around when it comes to the pundits so dont think that Beck or FOX threads are the in at the top of my list of importance, they are quite far down.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:34 pmK Street Whore says:
The only thing I get tired of is progressive stupidity like on full display @ 21.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
October 28th, 2009 at 11:38 pm~~~~~
Please, feel free to leave the thread at any time.
johnny dol1ar has your number and calls it every time you show up. Don’t you get tired of being pwnd time after time?
K Street Whore says: The only thing I get tired of is progressive stupidity like on full display @ 21.
Please feel free to point out exactly what you disagree with in that post [21] and why.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:44 pmRepugs and wingnuts are so pissed off because the dems won the last two election cycles and really pissed off that a black man is in the whitehouse. So you fcking losers resort to childish name calling. Then you have idiots like beck and limpo making crap up on a daily basis to try and disrupt all of the good that PRESIDENT OBAMA is trying to do. You stupid morons dont even realize that you are burrying your party by doing all of this childish crap. Seriously, take off your white hood, pull the shotgun barrel out off your ass and maybe you will be able to see and think straight for once.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:46 pmIts over, you lost. Stop trying to disrupt everything that our president is trying to do. If you like being on a winning team then you should climb aboard, the dems and libs are going to be running the show for a long time to come.
Now, Beefeater, tens of millions of american dollars were spent to build mosques during GWBs time in office. Surely you raised your objections to building mosques years ago and havent been saving your objections for this very moment?
October 28th, 2009 at 11:48 pm30 Xisithrus
I don’t disagree at all with your proposition about stopping the back and forth battles between Israel and Palestine.
My opinion is more cynical. It doesn’t include a religious element. I am referring to the transfer of Palestine outrage and resentment from generation to generation.
In my opinion, the Palestinians have a sense of legitimate right to tell the USA to stop supporting Israel and just F-Off, since they can’t see a difference between being under British control to USA control after WW-II.
To make things worse, Palestinians have also seen how the Israeli government thumbs its nose to the USA when the US suggests restraint in the Israeli attacks, even using the same rational claimed by the USA of going after terrorists and not needing permission from anyone else to do so.
As Blair mentioned, if you always wait for the “optimal” conditions to attempt something most likely you’ll never do anything.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:57 pmThats true and you wont often hear a politician admit that the us siding with Israel does actually create alot of the animosity towards Israel. Its ironic that our trying to help stop the persecution of Israel is, I think, not really all that helpful in creating stability in the area.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:07 amOctober 29th, 2009 at 12:35 am
42.
No, moron.
What you are seeing is the fact that nobody is interested in your idiotic trolling.
Go play with the cat litter box but don’t put any pebbles up your nostrils.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:36 amG’nite folks.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:40 amGN JD
October 29th, 2009 at 12:45 amKstreet MORON
The punk telling us about liberal stupidity is now whining like the pathetic PUNK he is about OUR personal attacks. Its the usual WWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH from a pathetic pile of dogshit who for some reason thinks he should be able to dish it out but not take it. PUNK. God did not give YOU the exclusive franchise on insults. So cowboy up or STFU
October 29th, 2009 at 12:47 amKstreetMORON
He responded because you are so stupid you are an easy target and slapping the stupid out of morons like you is almost as much fun as laughing at morons as stupid as you
October 29th, 2009 at 1:17 amKstreetMORON
Another pile of dogshit obsessed with Olberman. Just send him your naked e-mails and spare us your sexual fantasies about people much better and smarter than you could ever hope to be. You ignorant punkass troll
October 29th, 2009 at 1:23 amspecialK:
Islam = Qur’an
so called ‘xtians’ = bible
thus, the answer to the question is NO Islam does not ‘thump the bible’.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:24 am“YO, BLAIR!”
SEE: “British police and intelligence officers sent to tackle UK-funded torturers on West Bank”, by David Rose, 10/25/09
(EXCERPTS) The Government is sending British police and intelligence officers to the West Bank to try to stop a wave of brutal torture by Palestinian security forces funded by UK taxpayers…
…Most of their victims are accused of involvement with Hamas…In the region’s largest city, Nablus*, Nasser al-Shaer, a former Manchester academic who was deputy prime minister in the short-lived Hamas Palestinian Authority
government elected in 2006, said many of those released from detention in recent months were telling the same story – of torture, including beatings, being suspended from the ceiling and electric shocks…
* Apparently the “Daily Mail” recognizes Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem in contravention of international law!
ENTIRE ARTICLE – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222722/British-police-intelligence-officers-sent-tackle-UK-funded-torturers-West-Bank.html
October 29th, 2009 at 1:29 amKstreetMORON
You are stupid. You are a punk. You are a troll. You are an ignorant pile of dogshit. STFU. You KNOW you are too stupid to contribute to an adult conversation so stop wasting both our time and precious oxygen
October 29th, 2009 at 1:32 amKstreetMORON
Make up whatever stupid delusional BS you want. No one cares. You are stupid. You are a punk. You are a troll. Maggots gag at the thought of you. Your posts didnt call for an answer. You disgusting ignorant pile of dogshit. It called for a return serve insult. Since you are too stupid to understand, well anything, I didnt expect you to get it. So tell whatever lies it takes to get you through another pathetic miserable day as the putrid waste of skin that you are
October 29th, 2009 at 1:37 amThe Taliban in the middle east is pretty much the same
October 29th, 2009 at 1:42 amas the Taliban in the United States.
Lower rate of unwed teen pregnancies in Afghanistan,though,
and free school.
KstreetMORON
You are such a stupid piece of filth. Everyone KNOWS if ben Laden ran for President he would run as a Republican
October 29th, 2009 at 1:43 amBin Laden IS a republican.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:44 amEugeneDebs says:
KstreetMORON
You are such a stupid piece of filth. Everyone KNOWS if ben Laden ran for President he would run as a Republican
And K Street Crackwhore would vote for him.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:46 amYes he would intreped. Yes he would.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:48 amForget it, Hillary. The “Israelis” don’t want peace, they never did, and they never will. How can the “Israelis” steal Palestinian land if there’s peace?
My heart bleeds for all the Palestinian men, women, children, and babies who suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of the “Israeli” terrorists.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:16 amSo it’s not all bad news…
Perhaps but most of its bad. Like the fact that Israel continues to steal water from the Palestinians.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/israel-rations-palestinians-trickle-water-20091027
http://www.btselem.org/english/Water/Index.asp
October 29th, 2009 at 5:47 amI have heard american politicians claim that economic security is national security and then there is exceptionalism and entitlement which are about resources and so, I think, economic peace can result in larger peace.
Countries have invaded othes for resources, for economical ends many times in the worlds history.
October 29th, 2009 at 10:40 amNo one has come up with definitive explanation for why the apparently spontaneous violence erupted. Some Khobar [Saudi] residents say the men got “carried away” by the celebrations.
Although some vandals were heard to cite U.S. support for Israel as a reason for attacking Pizza Hut and Starbucks, anti-Americanism does not appear to have been a motive.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:30 am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If we are going to play the role of peacemaker we cant, I say, we cant be seen as a partisan referee.
Xisithrus
That is an important point if we are going to be involved we HAVE to be an honest broker.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:57 am