Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday kicked off his first visit to the Middle East as the international community’s new envoy to the region, hoping to add new momentum to fledgling peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

Blair arrives at a promising time. The Palestinian uprising has fizzled and Israel says it’s ready to work with the new Palestinian leadership after seven years of stalemate. But limits on Blair’s responsibilities have raised questions about his ability to forge a breakthrough, even before he begins work in the new post.

Blair is serving as a special envoy for the “Quartet” of Middle East peace mediators — the US, the European Union, United Nations and Russia. Blair touched down in Tel Aviv in a white, unmarked private jet on Monday afternoon, and immediately exited Ben Gurion International Airport in a heavily guarded motorcade through the "Gate of Shalom" terminal.

During his two-day visit, Blair is scheduled to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, including talks Monday with Israel's foreign and defense ministers.

Israeli and Palestinian officials have welcomed the involvement of Blair, who brings a high-profile and well-respected face to Mideast diplomacy. He is known for his powers of persuasion and track record in forging Northern Ireland's peace accord.

But in his new job, Blair has been given a relatively limited assignment: to prepare the ground for a Palestinian state by encouraging reform, economic development and institution-building. There is no mention of trying to help broker a final peace deal.  Ahead of the visit, a word of caution came from James Wolfensohn, Blair's predecessor as envoy of the diplomatic Quartet. In 2005, Wolfensohn, a former World Bank president, was asked to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after Israel’s pullout from the area.