Arab region still 'very much aligned' with Palestinian cause: Blair

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The Arab World is moving past its "conflict" with the Israeli occupation, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Sunday, claiming that the only obstacle between Israeli-Arab relations was the Palestinian cause at the Haaretz-UCLA conference on "Israel and the New World (Dis)Order", Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Sunday.

The British Prime Minister, notorious as a war criminal, explained that despite there being a growing list of nations that were now deciding to become buddy-buddy with the Israeli occupation, the Palestinian cause was "far from going way as a priority for [Israel's] neighbors."

Though the Israeli occupation "offers a lot of opportunities, the region also does care about the Palestinian issue," Blair, a former envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East comprising the United States, United Nations, European Union, and Russia.

"Sometimes I think there's a feeling in parts of Israeli politics that maybe the region has just given up on the Palestinian issue. It hasn't. It still considers it important. It wants, frankly, a more capable Palestinian politics to work with. But it’s still very much aligned with that Palestinian cause," he said.

Blair's statements come in light of numerous Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, normalizing ties with the Israeli occupation.

The normalization agreements, known as the "Abraham Accords", saw the establishment of embassy relations between the aforementioned Arab states and the Israeli occupation and that of direct flights, as well as the lifting of banks on tourist trips and official visits between "Tel Aviv" and the UAE, Morocco, and Bahrain.

The United Arab Emirates was one of the first Arab states to normalize ties with the Israeli occupation, which prompted international condemnations against the regime in Abu Dhabi.

Blair, in an orientalist manner as the head of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which has offices in occupied Palestine and several Gulf countries, asserted that the UAE, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia "are engaged in [a] process of modernization" by warming up to the Israeli occupation.

However, the pro-"Israel" British former premier forgot perhaps forgot how Moroccans, the people of a state whose regime normalized ties with the occupation, took to the streets in early February to demonstrate against the regime's normalization of ties with the Israeli occupation, as well as to show their solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and pictures of the martyrs of the Jenin massacre. They also raised slogans in their demonstrations calling for the criminalization of normalization, affirming that the Palestinian cause has been "entrusted to us" and that normalization is a betrayal of that trust. Furthermore, the demonstrators chanted for the freedom of the Palestinian land.

The demonstration was called for by the "Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Against Normalization" and the "National Action Group for Palestine", which are known for their continued and open defense of the Palestinian cause in Morocco.

Moreover, Moroccan football fans throughout the World Cup in November were seen waving the Palestinian flag at every chance they got, showing unwavering support for Palestine among the people despite the regime's opinion.

Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian banners were a staple at the Qatar World Cup as barely any expression of support for the Israeli occupation is being seen at the biggest sporting event in the world.

The chief reason behind the absence of flagrant pro-Israeli sentiment is the World Cup being held in an Arab country, where there is an almost century-old anti-Israeli sentiment.

The Arab fans at Qatar's World Cup stadiums embraced the Palestinian cause and portrayed their solidarity with occupied Palestine in various means, drawing the ire of Israeli officials and illegal settlers alike.

Furthermore, Blair might've forgotten about the pro-Palestine Yemeni demonstrations that took place just two weeks ago in the city of Saada.

The Palestinian struggle is embedded within Arab culture, with the Palestinian cause being a staple in most of the Arab states' academic curricula.

Though several Arab regimes have normalized ties with the Israeli occupation, the sentiment among the masses is still pro-Palestine regardless of how a certain country's government leans.

Read next: Fact check: Waving the Palestinian flag is not 'anti-Semitic', taz

Blair claimed that there has been a "growing appreciation" for the Israeli occupation's "openness" and technological prowess, as well as its consistent opposition to Iran.

"Why should [young people in the region] be hostile to Israel?" the former Prime Minister wondered as the Israeli occupation carried out ethnic cleansing campaigns against the people of Al-Naqab and the occupied West Bank, while casually bombing the Gaza Strip whenever it saw fit.

"I think if the region as a whole moves in that direction of modernization and rapprochement, then you've got a much better opportunity at resolving the Palestinian issue as well" the former premier asserted despite the anti-Israeli notion being prevalent in the Arab World, as "Israel" as a concept is still widely perceived as a settler colonial entity.

Even as the Israeli occupation grapples with an internal crisis that has to do with the current government wanting to undermine the judiciary, and with growing opposition among the public to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government, Blair said he did not want to comment on internal Israeli issues when asked about his opinion on the matter, saying it was "really important for Israel that it stands for those values of open-mindedness, of tolerance and willingness to work with others."

Thousands of illegal Israeli settlers have been taking to the streets of "Tel Aviv" for nine consecutive weeks to protest the government's judicial overhaul bid.

The Israeli opposition believes that the main goal of the amendments proposed by the ruling coalition is to "clear Netanyahu of corruption charges in the three files he is being tried," in addition to opening the door for his ally Aryeh Deri to assume a ministerial portfolio, despite his conviction on charges of tax fraud and theft for the second time.

The proposed legislation would prevent courts from overturning any amendments made by the government to the occupation's quasi-constitutional "Basic Laws", in addition to giving more weight to the government in the judge selection committee.