Key facts
- Former UK envoy Jeremy Greenstock claims Tony Blair, on behalf of Donald Trump's Board of Peace, asked the Palestinian Authority (PA) to remove the word 'Palestine' from textbooks.
- Greenstock stated that PA President Mahmoud Abbas rejected this request.
- Blair's Institute for Global Change has denied that Blair made such a request.
- Greenstock criticized the Board of Peace, calling it an 'abstract and arbitrary committee' and questioning its principles.
- Greenstock suggested that individuals indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), such as Benjamin Netanyahu, should be arrested if they visit Britain.
Former UK envoy Jeremy Greenstock has claimed that Tony Blair, acting on behalf of Donald Trump's Board of Peace, approached the Palestinian Authority (PA) with a request to remove the word 'Palestine' from its school textbooks. Greenstock stated that PA President Mahmoud Abbas rejected this demand outright.
In an interview on the David Hearst Podcast, Greenstock detailed that Blair was tasked with pressuring the PA, suggesting that such a removal was a condition for being considered capable of reaching an agreement with Israel to end the conflict stemming from the October 7th attacks. Greenstock expressed skepticism about the principles guiding the Board of Peace and questioned its understanding of justice and history.
Blair's Institute for Global Change has since denied that the former prime minister made any such request. Greenstock also voiced concerns about Blair's current role in overseeing Gaza's postwar management, citing Blair's past actions in the Iraq War and his stance on Palestine as reasons for being perceived as prejudiced and facing difficulties in negotiating with both sides.
Greenstock described the Board of Peace as an 'abstract and arbitrary committee' and warned the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham about the necessity of upholding principles, drawing parallels to the UK's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. He also suggested that Britain should scrutinize its weapons supply to Israel and that individuals indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), such as Benjamin Netanyahu, should be arrested if they enter the UK.
The report also touches upon broader efforts by Israel and its supporters to remove the term 'Palestine' from historical and educational contexts, citing examples in East Jerusalem and the UNRWA curriculum. Greenstock conveyed his personal conviction that Netanyahu aims to annex the West Bank, referred to as Judea and Samaria, to Israeli sovereignty, seeing the October 7th attacks as an opportunity.