Tony Blair: Israel has a right to defend itself

Quartet envoy tells Channel 10: When it comes to security, I'm 100% on Israel's side. Israel has a right to inspect what goes into Gaza.

Special envoy of the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators, Tony Blair, said Tuesday that any investigation into Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last week had to be "full and impartial" and that Israel had the right to defend itself.

"There's no question that there are rockets fired from Gaza and that there are people in Gaza who want to kill innocent Israelis," he said. "When it comes to security, I'm 100 percent on Israel's side. Israel has the right to inspect what goes into Gaza."

Blair said he was troubled by Turkey's recent shift in policy that has lead to a deterioration of the Turkey-Israel relationship.

On the Iranian nuclear issue, Blair said that there was no doubt that Iran should be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons.

"Iran with nuclear weapons is not something we should contemplate or allow," he said.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/tony-blair-israel-has-a-right-to-defend-itself-1.294986