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Just days after being declared persona non grata at the Labour Party conference, Tony Blair looks set to receive similar treatment in the Middle East.
The Palestinians have lost trust in the former prime minister as envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East peacemakers, claiming he is biased towards Israel. Palestinian youth wings of the main political parties have informally declared Mr Blair persona non grata in the occupied West Bank and would not meet him there, a Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) official said. If, as expected, the youth wings make a formal declaration about Mr Blair, it is likely to be adopted by senior politicians.
The concerns expressed about Mr Blair follow an Arab newspaper report which said that Palestinian officials are pushing for the removal of Mr Blair as envoy, citing his efforts to stop the Palestinian bid for statehood submitted to the United Nations last week. Citing diplomatic sources, the
Al-Quds newspaper reported that the Quartet intended to appoint a new peace envoy to the Middle East following a Palestinian request for his dismissal, according to the political blogger Guido Fawkes, who posted a translated excerpt on his website.
Comment: Something tells us these scandals are just the tip of the iceberg.