Airstrip One

Spot the Nation competition - 26th December 2002, 12.26

Blair never ceases to amaze in his futile attempts to demonstrate his lack of influence in intractable regional conflicts. He feels the heavy hand of history is now on his shoulder and the dream of Greatest British Prime Minister is slipping from his grasp as Northern Ireland, public service reform and the Euro remain problems.

Blair's latest wheeze is a conference on a 'Palestinian state' during Israel's election campaign, with representatives, from Russia, the United States, the European Union, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. However, as Palestinian elections were postponed on the 22nd December 2002, and Israel or Syria are not represented, there does not appear to be the possibility of gaining moves towards peace or dipomatic kudos from this conference.

Moreover, as long as Israel is threatened by such destructive levels of terrorism, the situation within the former territories of the Palestinian Authority remains their security concern. The fundamentalist terrorists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad wish to destroy Israel as an entity and the Palestinian Authority was implicated in the financing and organisation of terrorism.

Britain has no interest in this conflict and should stay out.