The British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, ended his tour of the Middle East yesterday with a strong appeal for Arab support in the US-led war on terrorism.
After talks with President Hosni Mubarak, he vowed the West and the Islamic world would stand together to fight terrorism.
"The purpose [of the September 11th] attacks was to set in train a series of events that would divide people Arab and Western, divide people Muslim and other faiths, divide people across the whole of the world. And that's why our response has got to be to say to these people: you will not divide us at this time," he said.
Whether or not this will convince sceptical Egyptians they should wholeheartedly support the joint US-British effort remains to be seen.
Throughout a Middle East public relations blitz that began with an interview with the influential al-Jazeera television earlier this week, Mr Blair has been seen to fudge the issue of the Palestinians and the possible widening of attacks to other Arab countries.
The perception of US responsibility for the plight of the Palestinians and Iraqi victims of sanctions - and a suspicion of US motives in Afghanistan - are central to Arab ambivalence towards the US-led war against terrorism.
In a joint news conference, Mr Mubarak acknowledged the need to address these issues, warning peace in the Middle East was vital to stemming the frustration that was fertile ground for exploitation by terrorists.
"Without reaching a comprehensive settlement to the problem of the Middle East, I'm afraid this will lead to a very bad future for the whole world," he warned.
Mr Blair echoed the sentiments and tried to counter the popular perception that the US-led coalition was more interested in keeping Arabs in their anti-terror coalition than in taking meaningful steps to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
But he did not offer any concrete suggestions for how the peace process might be restarted, let alone solved.
Most Arab governments have distanced themselves from the bombings in Afghanistan in the face of strong public opposition.
The sensitivity of the issue is such that Saudi Arabia reportedly asked Mr Blair to cancel a planned visit. The Ash-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported the trip was cancelled because "the Saudi leadership was sensitive about its role and position in both the Arab and Islamic world". British officials say the visit was cancelled for logistical reasons.