RTÉ's London correspondent Tommy Meskill speaks to former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's work on the Good Friday Agreement and its relevance to peace efforts in Gaza.
What does Tony Blair have to offer Gaza?
"I'm surprised that Tony wants to go back and put all his energies into it."
That was the reaction of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern this week, when asked about Tony Blair’s involvement in the "Board of Peace" for Gaza.
It’s a role that has received a mixed response. The current British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appears to be lukewarm on the idea, telling a press conference recently, "I’m less interested in discussions about personnel."
Bertie Ahern worked with Tony Blair during most of his tenure as Taoiseach, and even before.
During that time, they negotiated, signed and implemented the Good Friday Agreement. It brought to an end 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.
Both men began their negotiations while opposition leaders, approximately two-and-a-half years before either of them entered government.
It’s perhaps the main take-away from Bertie Ahern’s recollection of those peace efforts: they took a considerable amount of time.
Mr Ahern believes achieving long-tern peace in Gaza will be no different.
He speaks warmly of Tony Blair, a hugely controversial man, but Bertie Ahern has genuine admiration for the former Prime Minister’s work in Northern Ireland.
"He’s a doer, he likes to see things done," Mr Ahern recalls.
However, Bertie Ahern also cautions that what Tony Blair is about to take on in Gaza will be all consuming, hugely challenging and long.
It was 1998 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed but "2007 before we got the full setting up of the institutions".
During that time Mr Blair showed a willingness to stick with the process, according to Bertie Ahern.
"I dealt with him from 1995 up until 2008, and even thereafter," Mr Ahern points out.
"His energy, his commitment, he’s also a very good drafter, he drafts himself. He is always prepared to meet and talk and consult with people. Those were his great strengths," he recalls.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump declared that there was "Peace in the Middle East".
Mr Ahern takes a much more cautious view.
"It’s a 20-point plan [to end the Gaza conflict]. In my view, it’s going to have to be done in phases.
"Arms need to be given up. We were working on decommissioning of arms from 1998 to 2005. Now I accept that we were slow, and it would have been better if we were quicker," he says.
His underlying point, however, is that meaningful peace in the Middle East is a long way off.
Tony Blair’s experience in the Middle East
"Tony Blair?"
"Hell no."
"Hands off Palestine."
"Shall we meet in The Hague perhaps?"
Those were the words posted on social media by Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur, upon hearing of Mr Blair’s role in Gaza peace efforts.
The former Prime Minister’s return to Middle East diplomacy has re-opened many old wounds.
He will always be remembered for his decision to involve the UK in the Iraq war.
The Chilcot Inquiry concluded that this was done before "peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted" and that Britain's military role "ended a very long way from success".
Tony Blair’s work as a special envoy to the Middle East, representing the 'Quartet’ comprising the US, Russia, the United Nations and European Union has mixed reviews.
Mr Blair was appointed to that role within hours of leaving Downing Street in 2007. He would remain in that post for eight years.
During that time Tony Blair developed extensive experience and contacts in the region.
He had some success, namely in the area of economic development in Palestine.
Criticism of his time as envoy, however, includes a failure to achieve a two-state solution and a breakdown in trust between him and many Palestinians.
When asked about Mr Blair’s role on the ‘Board of Peace’ last week, Donald Trump acknowledged it would not be welcomed by everyone.
"I've always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he's an acceptable choice to everybody," he told reporters on Air Force One.
What exactly Tony Blair will do as a member of the ‘Board of Peace’ is not entirely clear.
According to the 20-point-plan unveiled by Donald Trump, the board is a "technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza".
It will be chaired by the US President.
The view of people in Whitehall is that Tony Blair played a key role in the development of that 20-point-plan, along with his former chief of staff in Downing Street, Jonathan Powell.
Mr Powell is back at the heart of the British government and currently serves as National Security Advisor.
He received glowing tributes from US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff this week.
"I want to recognize the incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell," he posted on social media.
Both Jonatan Powell and Tony Blair were central figures in the development of the Good Friday Agreement too.
That experience has been pointed to by the British government in recent days, when pressed on what the UK has to offer Gaza.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the House of Commons this week that the UK had a "role to play".
"That is why we have said that we stand ready, based on our experience in Northern Ireland, to help with the decommissioning process. I'm not going to pretend that's easy, but it is extremely important," he said.
Good Friday Agreement not a 'blueprint' for Gaza
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is also an architect of the Good Friday Agreement.
Asked if it can be applied to Gaza, he’s "wary" of such talk.
Since leaving the Taoiseach’s office he has worked on conflict resolution in other parts of the world such as Papua New Guinea and the Philippines in 2014.
He still maintains contacts in those countries.
"Every conflict is different, and the circumstances are different. The personalities are different; the history is different. I’m always weary of saying that you can take the Good Friday Agreement and just place it into others," he cautions.
However, Mr Ahern believes that there are elements of it that can be applied.
"In Papua New Guinea we followed the decommissioning lines that we had in the north. So, there are bits, parts, maybe sections that you can take but I don’t think that you can say this is a blueprint for conflict resolution," he explains.
The role that Tony Blair and others will play in Gaza peace efforts is still uncertain.
And whether the '20 Point Plan’ to end the conflict survives long term is also in doubt.
Bertie Ahern paints a picture of a former British Prime Minister who was dogged in his pursuit of peace in Northern Ireland. Many, particularly on this island, will forever admire him for that.
His interest in the Middle East however is far more controversial.
Tony Blair may feel he has unfinished business in the region and that he has something to prove.
And some will feel he has plenty to offer.
Others, however, would rather he just stay out of it.
