Quartet envoy Tony Blair told the audience at the Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem that "supporting freedom is an intervention that goes with the grain of human progress".
He said that while dictatorships promoted instability and conflict, history had proved that democracies rarely made war with each other. He said the instability in the Middle East was for the greater good of Israel.
Ed Morrissey covering the conference for HotAir.com blogs:
"The former British PM also defended Western support for Israel in rather unique terms. Neocons in the US often express the hope that Iraq can serve as a model to the rest of the Arab nations, but Blair said that Israel is “a model for the region.” “Come and see what Israel has done in 60 years,” Blair said to thunderous applause, pointing out that it’s Israel’s freedom that allowed for its advances. “Freedom is not a passing phase,” Blair emphasized, “it is the condition that defines the human spirit.” And for that, Blair got the standing ovation at the end that he also received at the beginning".