|
The Peace Envoy
by Gilad Atzmon
 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 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, Baba 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.
 |
Writings 
Subscribe to this comment's feed
