What a great day for peace enthusiasts! A new envoy to the Middle East has been appointed for
the Quartet, and it�s no other than the former British PM, Tony Blair. Blair,
the man who gave the Israelis the green light to flatten Beirut. Blair, the man
who started an illegal war in Iraq. Blair, a man who, according to the Geneva
Conventions, is to be held personally responsible for more than 700,000 dead in
Iraq for failing to �protect civilian populations against certain consequences
of war� [1]. A man who is supposed to be charged for genocide at The Hague.
That�s right, a man who should end his life behind bars is now becoming a peace
envoy.
Maybe it isn�t such a bad
idea. Seemingly, his partner from Washington may have sussed it all out. It is
rather possible that when peace is at stake, it is actually the warmongers, the
bloodthirsty criminals, the men who know no mercy and compassion who may
provide the goods. At the end of the day, a rapist may know more about sex
abuse than an innocent detached judge. We should never forget that for the
Bushman, even Sharon, the mass killer from Sabra and Shatila, was nothing less
than a �Man of Peace.�
Who knows the truth of such
complicated matters? It is rather possible that Bush is correct. It is feasible
that pouring blood in such a vast quantity may have qualified Blair to be a
peacemaker. Yet, there is a slight problem here. Just a marginal issue that
should be addressed before Blair lands in Gaza�s International Docks or
Ramallah�s busy Heliport. The democratically elected Hamas, the party who was
voted by the Palestinian people, isn�t really happy with the new envoy.
If I could have a word with
him, I would say, �You see, Mr. Blair, as things stand it is actually Hamas you
have to talk to. And what about the Lebanese, did you think about them, Mr
Blair? Will they welcome to their country the man who just less than a year ago
enthusiastically approved the total destruction of their country�s
infrastructure, capital and southern regions.
�Thus, I have a little
suggestion for you, Mr. Blair. Just before you become a dove, just on your way
to your first peace mission, pop over to The Hague for a few days, put yourself
on trail. Prove to us and our brothers in the region that you are indeed a man
of harmony and peace. You shouldn�t be too worried, you always believed in what
you were doing. You always claimed to believe that liberating the Iraqi people
was the right thing to do. You believed as well that destroying Lebanon�s
infrastructure would bring stability to the region. You believed that
dismissing the democratically elected Palestinian Government was an act of
humanism.�
Don�t cave in, Mr. Ex-PM, you
can have your two closest friends beside you. You will probably appoint Lord
Goldsmith to fight your legal battle. He�d be on your side; when it comes down
to it, he was the man who gave you the legal approval to start your �little�
illegal war. You shouldn�t worry about money either. Lord Levy, your No 1
Fundraiser will take care of the costs. Now when your New Labour�s
under-the-table trading with those giving loans so that they could be nominated
peers has become public knowledge, there is nothing to be afraid of.�
I am sure that by the time our
dearly beloved, newly born dove will be vindicated by the international court
of Justice, he will be far more effective as a peace maker. He may even be the
first to bridge the gap between the foes in the region. This is an opportunity
we cannot miss and even if he fails, this shouldn�t be a major concern, Bubba
Bush can always appoint him as the new Iraqi prime minister. I do not think
Blair will be missed but he will be remembered.
A further thought struck me
while I was summoning up my words to Mr. Blair: if it is true that he is really
the new Middle East Peace Envoy, then I would like to apply for an appropriate
roll for myself. I am hoping to become the Chief Rabbi of Britain.
[1] Geneva Convention, PART
II-GENERAL PROTECTION OF POPULATIONS AGAINST CERTAIN CONSEQUENCES OF WAR,
article 13-The provisions of Part II cover the whole of the populations of the
countries in conflict, without any adverse distinction based, in particular, on
race, nationality, religion or political opinion, and are intended to alleviate
the sufferings caused by war.
Gilad Atzmon
is an Israeli jazz musician, author and political
activist.