Quartet emissary Tony Blair on Thursday offered a strong endorsement of Binyamin Netanyahu's capacity to achieve peace, backing the prime minister's focus on fostering West Bank economic growth and bolstering the Palestinians' security capacity.
Netanyahu "most certainly can play the role of peacemaker," Blair told The Jerusalem Post in an interview, adding that there was now "a moment of opportunity" that required both negotiation from the "top down" and improving the economy and security realities from the "bottom up."
Blair said Netanyahu recognized that making progress "is going to be a very tough challenge internally and externally. His big preoccupation is the security of Israel. He's very focused obviously on the issue of Iran."
The former British prime minister stressed that he was "completely sympathetic" to Israel's security concerns. "We also believe it is possible, consistent with that and provided the Palestinians adhere to their responsibilities, to give the Palestinians control of their own territory and a state." Netanyahu, said Blair, "understands that."
