Quartet to appoint zionist as Middle East envoy

This is ludicrous and a recipe for more disasters for the Palestinians. It's one of those news reports which has you checking the calendar to see if it's April 1st. According to the news on Yahoo, Tony Blair, an honorary patron of the zionist Jewish National Fund, is to be made the so-called Quartet's envoy to the Middle East.

Tony Blair is set to be confirmed as a Middle East envoy according to reports.

If the so-called Quartet can reach agreement on the appointment, the outgoing Prime Minister would play a key peacemaking role in the Palestinian territories.

The White House revealed last week that Mr Blair, who steps down as premier on Wednesday afternoon, was in line for the nomination.

His official spokesman has refused to talk about Mr Blair's post-Downing Street plans.

Number 10 again declined to comment, despite claims that the Quartet was close to an agreement and an announcement was imminent.

The position has been vacant since former World Bank chief James Wolfensohn quit the post in April last year.

It would give Mr Blair a central role in future efforts to secure peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The appointment is said to be on the agenda for talks in Jerusalem between officials of the Quartet powers the US, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.

US president George Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are thought to have been pushing for Mr Blair's nomination for the role.

So no serious approach to peace in the Middle East for a generation then.