Tony Blair Calls for Regional Normalization

Former Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair said that regional normalization, alongside a regional peace process based on the Saudi peace initiative of 2002 could solve the Irsaeli-Palestinian conflict. He was referring to a plan in which the entire Muslim and Arab world would normalize relations with Israel in exchange for an Israeli pullback to pre-1967 lines (including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and east Jerusalem) and an agreed-resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue. Given the chaos of the past few years in the Arab world, it seems unlikely that Arab states could agree on a regional peace plan, but Blair said that with new leadership in the region it would be possible. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said the idea “merits further discussion.”