ME and Ophelia

Cherie Blair, wife of former UK premier and Quartet's Mideast envoy Tony Blair and founder of the Blair Foundation for Women, spoke Wednesday at a Jasmine – Women in Business conference hosted by the University of Haifa.

According to Blair, the current financial crisis was brought on by men, seeing how equality between the genders in the business world is still lacking.

Many believe that if women ran things the world would be a better place, she stated, adding that the world needs women, but it has yet to fathom just how much it needs them.

Blair's UK critics claim that she has been trying to capitalize off of her husband's role in public life and the international arena.

Ofra Strauss, director of the Strauss Group and president of Jasmine also spoke at the conference, but voiced her views in a somewhat different manner.

"The best way we can put the recession behind us is to incorporate more women in the workforce," she said.

"In the US, women's businesses have a $3 trillion annual turnover, and the government allocates proper resources to it. I hope our government does the same."

Labels: Cherie Blair, Ted Turner, Tony Blair