Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar has endorsed a turgid article by ex-UK PM, war criminal and cadaverous lord of the undead, Tony Blair, defending Israel’s Gaza genocide. Sa’ar, himself an alleged war criminal, cited the article in his recent attack on home secretary Yvette Cooper.
Butcher of Basra spins lies in defence of genocide
Weird, because the Labour government had backed and armed the genocide from the start — though apparently not enough for Sa’ar’s liking.
Blair’s essay was originally published on something comically called ‘The Free Press’ on 26 March. It was also published by his own shadowy institute and by the Murdoch-owned Times.
In it, the butcher of Basra weaves a fantastical tale of an alliance between a version of the left he appears to have imagined and a devious cohort of non-existent ‘Islamists.’ This isn’t exactly new. It is a coded dog-whistle — much like the far-right ‘judeo-bolshevik’ conspiracies which helped give shape, form and direction to 20th century fascism.
Blair cites statistics for antisemitic attacks around the world in his preamble. He also refers to the recent arson attack against Jewish community ambulances in London. Here is our report on that.
Blair then locates the source of the recent, dangerous spike in antisemitism in the most improbable location. Not the fascist or nationalist right. Not as a result of the violence of the state of Israel itself. No, it’s the left, according to Tony Blair:
…today it has new forms, on the right and on the left. The left-wing version is a pernicious and novel development in progressive politics: the alliance with Islamists.
Then he seems to suggest that a — if not the — problem with Gaza is that it provides a cover for people who hate Jews:
In its opposition to Israel, it has found an animating cause. And the war in Gaza has allowed it full rein in pursuing it.
What?
Parts of the left?
He goes on, without citing any evidence or naming any offenders:
Parts of the left cast the Jewish community as supporters of the government of Israel. And Jews become “fair game.”
Adding:
Of course, progressive politicians rightly say being against government policy in Israel is not the same as being against Jews.
And then we’re back to the old canard about Israel’s ‘right to exist’ — as if such a right exists anywhere in international law.
But you cannot engage in such criticism legitimately if you do not also condemn the terrorism of October 7. You cannot pretend that Israel does not face a substantial terrorist threat from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Iranian regime, and other groups that do not recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Again, Blair cites no examples of anyone failing to condemn 7 October. And provides zero context in regard to the event itself.
Here is UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese on that exact claim:
Blair returns to another old canard. This time, it’s Israeli fear and victimhood, which he uses it to justify the starvation of Gazans.
You cannot complain about the restrictions on goods and material going in and out of Gaza unless you also reference the reasons for the restrictions: the fear in Israel that such materials will be used for the purpose of building a terrorist infrastructure, which is precisely what nearly 300 miles of tunnels underneath Gaza represent.
Holocaust industry
Blair draws on the Holocaust to justify Israel’s genocidal violence so clumsily and crassly that Norman Finkelstein would probably self-combust reading it:
You should not diminish the charge of genocide—whatever your views of Israel’s actions—by a barb particularly aimed at Jewish memories of the Holocaust, which was a genocide.
Here’s a bit of Norm intro for the people who fancy it.
The former PM then comes back to the crux of his wholly unevidenced and incredibly thin argument—the claim that a “literally unholy” alliance between socialists and Muslims is to blame:
The problem is that, under pressure from party activists and parts of the Muslim community, many progressive politicians who do sincerely reject antisemitism are not making these arguments, and failing to take head-on this literally “unholy alliance” between parts of the left and Islamists in our own societies whose ideology leads inexorably to antisemitism.
If this insipid Blair intervention leaves you with one question, it is this: who the fuck is buying this rubbish anymore?
Well, the settler colonial state of Israel, for one…
🚨🇮🇱 NEW: The Israeli Foreign Minister has told Yvette Cooper that the rise of antisemitism in the UK has been driven by the “irresponsible delegitimisation of Israel,” citing an article written by Tony Blair
— Politics Global (@PolitlcsGlobal) March 30, 2026
Gideon Sa’ar is the Israeli foreign minister. And he certainly appreciated Tony Blair’s commentary. He told the Jewish Chronicle on 30 March:
I mentioned the recent article by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which pointed to the connection between the irresponsible delegitimisation of Israel and the rise of antisemitism in the West.
Sa’ar, for the record, is a figure many would like to see arrested. The Hind Rajab Foundation, named for the five-year-old girl murdered by Israeli forces on 29 January 2025, has applied to the International Criminal Court for an arrest warrant for Sa’ar to be issued:
The Hind Rajab Foundation has officially filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), seeking an arrest warrant for Gideon Sa’ar, the Foreign Minister of Israel, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
They add that:
Sa’ar, a senior member of Netanyahu’s government and a key figure in Israel’s decision-making, has played a central role in shaping and implementing policies that have led to mass displacement, collective punishment, and systematic attacks on Palestinian civilians. His public statements and policy endorsements indicate direct and indirect participation in these crimes, as well as incitement to violence and obstruction of international justice mechanisms.
Let’s have it right. If Blair is sad about anything it is that people on the left are disgusted by Israel’s genocide. Even US Republican support for Israel has plummeted:
the Republican support for Israel has declined by a 10-point record since 2024, to its lowest level since 2004
Blair, a longtime ally of Israel, is using an established tactic: conflating human solidarity with Palestinians with a hatred of Jews. The fact the article received almost immediate endorsement from another suspected war criminal should tell you everything you need to know. Beyond that, when you’re reading anything he says, remember he made himself a key figure in the Israel-Trump plan for the final dispossession of Palestine.
Featured image via Reuters
