Blair: My Support of “Israel” During 2006 Lebanon War Caused Me Substantial Political Damage

Tony Blair has described in detail how his support of "Israel" during the 2006 Lebanon war caused him substantial political damage and accelerated his departure as Prime Minister.

In his memoirs, A Journey, released this week, Mr Blair wrote that his reaction to the conflict "probably did me more damage than anything since Iraq. It showed how far I had swung from the mainstream of conventional Western media wisdom and from my own people".

Western leaders had initially "queued up to advise "Israel" to stand firm and hit hard", he wrote.
At the G8 summit in St Petersburg, which began as the conflict escalated, "there was a common belief that Hizbollah had it coming and if "Israel" took them out, so much the better".

But when "Israel" stepped up its response, Mr Blair was pushed hard to encourage "Israel" to call a unilateral ceasefire.

"There then came about a choice in politics which did me real and lasting damage," he said.