Tony Blair, the former prime minister, is to resign as the envoy of the Quartet to Middle East later this month.
The Quartet on the Middle East, formed in 2002, is made up of Russia, the United States, the UN, and the EU. Its purpose is to promote the Israeli–Palestinian peace process and to help develop the Palestinian economy.
But Mr Blair has informed Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, that he will relinquish the role.
The Independent newspaper suggested the deterioration of Mr Blair’s relationship with leading figures in the Palestinian National Authority may have played a role in the decision.
The former prime minister reportedly means to continue with his diplomatic efforts after his resignation and “concentrate on strengthening relations between Israel and the wider Arab world”, as well as “focus on encouraging Israel to take measures to dramatically improve the daily lives of Palestinians in Gaza.”
Preceding Wednesday’s meeting on the peace process by the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in Brussels, Mr Blair’s office wrote in its last report to the committee: “Over a year on from the breakdown in talks between Israel and the Palestinians, there is still no tangible political horizon in sight.”
Following the resignation, the Quartet issued a formal statement saying: “As the Quartet’s envoy on the ground during the last eight years, Mr Blair demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the cause of Israeli–Palestinian peace and made lasting contributions to the effort to promote economic growth and improve daily life in the West Bank and Gaza”.
