Tony Blair will stand down as a Middle East envoy next month, a source close to the former prime minister confirmed to BuzzFeed News, ending an eight-year stint attempting to bring stability to the Israel–Palestine region on behalf of world powers.
The former Labour prime minister has been representing the interest of the "Quartet" – a group consisting of the United Nations, the EU, the US, and Russia – since 2007.
The source confirmed that Blair would leave imminently and has now formally handed in his resignation: "As has been widely known since earlier in the year, Tony Blair has decided to step aside from his role as Quartet Representative. He has today written to Ban Ki-Moon to formally confirm that he will relinquish his role when he has fulfilled his outstanding commitments as Quartet Representative next month."
Officials at the UN had become frustrated with Blair's limited ability to take action on behalf of his international backers, according to the Associate Press, which first reported the news.
Blair has been criticised for attempting to combine his diplomatic and development work alongside business interests that see him work on behalf of governments and large corporations. His stint as envoy has also been overshadowed by his involvement in the Iraq War.
The source insisted Blair would continue to campaign in the Middle East: "He remains fully committed to assisting the international community in its work with Israel and the Palestinians to bring about progress on the two-state solution. He believes that he can best support these efforts through working with the key regional players, the USA, the EU and others, without any formal role. He will therefore remain active on the issues and in the region.
"Although he did contribute to the political process, the Quartet role has been limited to supporting the Palestinian people on economic development and institution building.
"Tony Blair is of the view that the cause of a viable and independent Palestinian State alongside a secure and recognised State of Israel is essential to both peoples, to the region and to the wider world. He also believes an entirely new approach is needed to obtain it."