Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has denied a report that he asked the Palestinian Authority to replace "Palestine" with "Samaria" in its school curriculum. The allegation was made by former UN Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, who cited a ministerial-level source.
The alleged request by Tony Blair to alter Palestinian school curricula carries significant symbolic weight, potentially erasing Palestinian identity amidst ongoing land dispossession and conflict, and raises questions about the impartiality of his role as a peace envoy.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has vehemently denied a report alleging he asked the Palestinian Authority (PA) to remove references to "Palestine" from its school curriculum and replace them with "Samaria," a biblical Hebrew designation for part of the West Bank. The claim was made by Jeremy Greenstock, Britain’s former ambassador to the United Nations, who cited a ministerial-level source.
Greenstock's account suggests a demand for Palestinians to adopt the language of those dispossessing them, symbolically erasing their history and geography. The article contrasts this alleged request with the ongoing reality of Palestinian land dispossession, settler violence, and forced displacement in the occupied West Bank.
The author criticizes Blair's role as a peace mediator, drawing parallels to his controversial decision to take Britain into the Iraq War. Blair's subsequent career as a Middle East peace envoy is also questioned, with Palestinian officials reportedly complaining he prioritized Israeli security demands over Palestinian rights.
The piece further highlights the perceived conflict between Blair's diplomatic activities and his lucrative international consultancy operations. His advocacy for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after the 2013 overthrow of the elected leader is also cited as evidence of his alignment with autocrats.
Ultimately, the article frames Blair as a potential representative of Donald Trump's "Board of Peace," describing it as "grandiose moral rhetoric masking power, money and breathtaking contempt for Palestinian agency." It argues that the future of Gaza is being shaped by figures like Trump, Blair, and financiers, while Palestinians are relegated to a subordinate role.