Palestine Will Outlast Blair and His Grotesque 'Board of Peace' | Soumaya Ghannoushi | MEE Opinion

Sep 4, 2026 | Soumaya Ghannoushi, a writer and expert on Middle East politics, explains that former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s diplomatic efforts, particularly his demand that the Palestinian Authority replace the term "Palestine" in school textbooks with the biblically derived Israeli term "Samaria," represent a “monstrous” demand for a people to participate in their own cultural and historical erasure.

Ghannoushi says that by framing this demand as a condition for peace and reform, Blair is prioritising Israeli interests rather than acting as a neutral mediator within the so-called Board of Peace.

She emphasises that despite these systemic and diplomatic pressures, Palestinian identity, memory, and connection to the land will persist, enduring any attempts to erase them.