Blair Plays Mideast Peacemaker

Next peace, please. Not content with his Nobel Prize-nominated work on the Irish accord, Tony Blair is making headway on a new Mideast settlement. The British PM spoke with Bibi Netanyahu late Sunday, after which Israeli and European officials started talking about a top-level London meeting on May 4. Madeleine Albright, Israeli and Palestinian leaders, it was said, would be in attendance.

Which came as something of a surprise to the Palestinians. Last they heard, Netanyahu was unwilling to go anywhere near their proposal that Israel withdraw troops from 13.1 percent of the West Bank. So why meet? Yasser Arafat aide Ahmed Tibi asked Israeli Army Radio. To be photographed?

Photo-ops aside, Bibi does seem to have softened his stance. The Israeli daily Maariv reports Monday that the PM is prepared to give away 11 percent of the West Bank, up from his hardline 9 percent limit. But as Blair meets Arafat in Gaza Monday to announce closer EU-Palestinian cooperation, he might be reminded that its a good idea to talk to all sides before sending out the press release. As Tibi says: You cannot dictate meetings or dates when the Palestinians have not yet heard a proposal. Touché.