BRUSSELS (EJP)--- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been named the European political personality of 2006 by readers of the European Jewish Press, a Brussels-based pan-European news agency.

Blair, who announced last year that he will be stepping down as British leader in 2007, edged out German chancellor Angela Merkel by nine percent. Blair polled 42 percent of the vote while Merkel received 33 percent of the 442 votes cast.

French Interior Minister and likely to be presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy came third with 17 percent of the vote.

Since taking power in 1997 Blair has increasingly become a significant player in European politics, and 2006 was no different. He recently named the Middle East peace process as one of his top priorities in his final months as British leader.

Blair’s Mideast links

Blair has always been involved in the peace process, and during the summer’s war between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, he was notably one of the only world leaders to refuse to call for an immediate ceasefire, saying Israel had a right to defend itself.

Last month Blair visited Israel in a show of commitment to his desire for peace in the region and held talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, Blair said he believed that there is still great hope for peace.

“This is a moment I think of very great importance, it is a critical moment,” he stressed. “I suppose all moments are in this process, but I feel myself that it has never been more important that we try to make progress, and I know that that is your sincere desire and I hope very much that on the basis of the will that there is here amongst moderate Palestinians and amongst moderate people of goodwill everywhere, that it is possible to find a way through. Certainly anything that I can do to help I will most certainly do.”

German support

Merkel is clearly a much newer appointee to the position of her country’s leader, but she is nonetheless considered as another significant supporter of Israel.

In 2006 she also defended Israel’s right to retaliate against Hezbollah attacks and spoke of her hopes for peace in the region. December saw her welcome Olmert to Berlin and greet him with an embrace.

Merkel’s meeting with Olmert was held the same day as an Iranian Holocaust denial conference, and the German leader used the opportunity to show her views on the matter.

"I would like to make clear that we reject with all our strength the conference taking place in Iran about the supposed nonexistence of the Holocaust," she said. “Germany will never accept this and will use all possibilities at its disposal to oppose it."

Sarkozy has also been seen as a supporter of Israel and of the Jewish community in France, along with fellow presidential candidate Ségolène Royal. Sarkozy, who is considered by the French daily Liberation as the “natural candidate of Jewish voters”, brought up his action to fight anti-Semitism in the country.

The Interior Minister is of Greek origin and in July was awarded a plaque commemorating his visit to the Thessaloniki Jewish community. His maternal grandfather Benedict Mallah was a Sephardic Jew from Thessaloniki, who immigrated to France in the early 20th century.

Also included in the poll were European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who gained two percent of the vote and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who gained six percent.