A day after he was prevented from visiting Gaza because of an assassination threat, Tony Blair for the first time raised doubts that a peace deal could be concluded between Israel and the Palestinians by the end of the year. Mr Blair, who is the international community's envoy to the Middle East, said that the uncertain political future of Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, was undermining efforts to conclude a deal, which President Bush had pledged would be signed by the end of this year. "The political situation in Israel makes it difficult to continue being optimistic about reaching a peace treaty between the Israelis and Palestinians by the end of the year," the former Prime Minister told the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds. Mr Olmert is expected not to stand for re-election in party primaries in September after becoming engulfed in a corruption investigation that has severely damaged his popularity. He is suspected of having received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Morris Talansky, a Jewish American businessman, over 15 years before becoming prime minister.
A day after he was prevented from visiting Gaza because of an assassination threat, Tony Blair for the first time raised doubts that a peace deal could be concluded between Israel and the Palestinians by the end of the year.
Mr Blair, who is the international community's envoy to the Middle East, said that the uncertain political future of Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, was undermining efforts to conclude a deal, which President Bush had pledged would be signed by the end of this year.
"The political situation in Israel makes it difficult to continue being optimistic about reaching a peace treaty between the Israelis and Palestinians by the end of the year," the former Prime Minister told the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds.
Mr Olmert is expected not to stand for re-election in party primaries in September after becoming engulfed in a corruption investigation that has severely damaged his popularity. He is suspected of having received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Morris Talansky, a Jewish American businessman, over 15 years before becoming prime minister.
