Blair's 'unholy alliance' claim is a baseless smear to deflect from Israel's war crimes
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/owen-jones. "Tony Blair says the left is in ‘unholy alliance’ with Islamists. It’s a desperate last ploy to quell the anger over Gaza | Owen Jones | The Guardian." April 1, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
Owen Jones argues that Tony Blair is making false accusations about the left working with Islamic extremists because Blair can't defend Israel's actions in Gaza on their merits. Jones says this is just a desperate attempt to silence criticism by smearing opponents rather than addressing the actual issues.
Conclusion
Tony Blair's accusation that the left has formed an 'unholy alliance' with Islamists is a baseless, desperate attempt to deflect criticism from Israel's actions in Gaza and silence legitimate opposition to war crimes
Premises
- Blair provides no evidence for his extraordinary claim that the left has allied with Islamists
- Opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza reflects mainstream British public opinion, with only 12% supporting Israel's actions
- The left would oppose Israel's actions regardless of Muslim presence in Britain, as evidenced by Jewish scholars and Americans who also condemn Israel's conduct
- Blair himself has actual alliances with fundamentalist regimes like Saudi Arabia and has supported authoritarian actions
- The Green Party, led by a Jewish gay man with progressive policies, contradicts any notion of Islamist alliance
- Framing Muslim democratic participation as dangerous amounts to demonization of legitimate political engagement
- Israel's defenders are losing public opinion and resort to smears because they cannot defend the substance of Israel's actions
Assumptions
- Public opinion polls accurately reflect genuine British sentiment about Israel's actions
- Opposition to specific Israeli policies is distinct from antisemitism
- Democratic participation by Muslim citizens should be treated the same as any other group's political engagement
- Blair's past alliances and actions are relevant to assessing his current credibility
- The substance of Israel's actions in Gaza constitutes war crimes or genocide