Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is generally despised in the Arab world because of his dirty role in the Iraq war and the consequences that flowed from that. According to Middle East Eye on Oct. 21, however, Blair is welcome in Cairo. That, MEE says, is because Blair and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have a long-standing warm relationship—evidence of which was displayed at the Sharm el Sheikh summit on Gaza—and a shared hatred for political Islam.
MEE’s source, unnamed but described as in the Egyptian presidency, asserts that Blair has been a paid advisor to el-Sisi since 2014, deployed by the U.A.E., though the Tony Blair Institute denies this.
“Blair mainly advised on how to handle the Muslim Brotherhood, opposition forces, and the media impact in order to stabilize Sisi’s government,” the source said. “Blair also provided economic consultations, suggesting that Sisi resorted to international lenders such as the International Monetary Fund and the European Union and coordinated with them to facilitate the loans.”
According to the source, Cairo is “highly unlikely to object to Blair assuming leadership of the proposed administrative council for Gaza.”
“Quite the opposite—Sisi’s government will support Blair wholeheartedly,” the source said. “Blair is a firm opponent of political Islam, including Hamas, and has long called for excluding Islamists from political life.”
An Egyptian presidential adviser told MEE that “Blair’s re-emergence in the Gaza file is no coincidence, for he is acting like a modern-day British High Commissioner,” likening him to Herbert Samuel, the controversial Zionist that ruled Mandatory Palestine from 1920-1925. “Blair is expected to play a major role in administering Gaza,” the adviser said, noting that a recent meeting between Blair and deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein al-Sheikh “carries deep political significance, well beyond ordinary diplomatic engagement.”
MEE previously reported on Oct. 11 that Hamas has already said that Blair is not welcome in Gaza, and so any attempt to impose him on the Palestinians is likely to be met with resistance.
