City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

Blair, Labour and Palestine, conflicting views on Middle East peace after 9/11, Toby Greene

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

index present

non fiction

Blair, Labour and Palestine

electronic resource

Toby Greene

conflicting views on Middle East peace after 9/11

Most of Blair's policy decisions in the Israeli-Palestinian arena were controversial and politically damaging. This survey argues that the gap between him and his party was rooted in different worldviews. Such ideological differences became significant in the wake of 9/11 as policymakers sought to understand Islamic anger against the West., Many of Tony Blair's policy decisions in the Israeli-Palestinian arena were controversial and politically costly. Blair, Labour and Palestine argues that gaps between him and much of his party were rooted in different world views. A positive attitude towards Israel came to be seen as a defining mark of New Labour loyalists. However, contrasting views among left-leaning strands in the party reflected a broader set of ideological rifts. Such differences became increasingly significant in the wake of 9/11 as British policymakers sought to understand and respond to Islamic anger against the West. Based on interviews conducted by the author and on previously unseen documents, this unique case study shows how the distinctive world view of a political leader defined foreign policy, by shaping Britain's response to Islamist violence and its interconnected approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Author Toby Greene also examines the extent to which ministers and officials considered shifting foreign policy in response to fears of Islamist radicalisation in the UK, and Blair's role in stopping this trend, especially after the 7/7 bombings