Rather than trying to do this job by himself, he should get Jordan and Egypt actively involved in a collective formula, to encourage as much Arab participation as possible in the mediation process, in view of their influence and geographic proximity. They ought to be firm, though, making it clear to Ismail Haniyeh that his bloody putsch against the Palestinian Authority and an uncompromising stance against the two state solution will get him nowhere.

The Quartet must now stand firm in order to advance the greater objective of peace in Palestine. While the first priority is patching up of differences between Hamas and Fatah, the situation in Lebanon should also be properly addressed and brought under control. Here, both Blair and Quartet leaders should act strongly against Syria, leaving it under no impression it can get away with killing its opponents and wreaking havoc in Lebanon by backing Hezbollah. The ongoing UN investigation and potential trial of the assassins of anti-Syrian leaders in Lebanon must continue relentlessly.

The violence in Palestinian has gone on far too long for all parties to continue the current state of piecemeal war and no peace. The issue of coexistence between Israel and a secure, independent Palestinian state has won global consensus; it needs to move ahead. The rest of the world can no more stomach the news of children, women and elderly people turning themselves into human bombs in the 21st century. Blair's role will be to stick to the basics -- the issue of Israeli-Palestinian coexistence and an end to extremism in Lebanon and elsewhere.

As a good communicator, Blair is equipped -- indeed Britain is obliged given its history of colonialism in this region -- to bring this mission to fruition. He deserves the support of all of us in tackling this challenge.