Goodness what have we here? What we have here is an article on George Mitchell and the Middle East in The Guardian’s "Comment is free" section by Gerry Adams who is a real Irishman. He is in fact the real Irishman who leads Sinn Féin, (and, many would say, the PIRA). As Sinn Féin’s leader he was and remains one of the pillars of the Irish peace process. He knows from personal experience what it takes to make a peace process work. A small extract:

In the Irish peace process, the US involvement was generally seen as a good thing. That may not be so in the Middle East. That could be a complicating factor facing George Mitchell.

Moreover, if any renewed effort in the Middle East to reach an agreement is reduced by either side to a tactical game of winners and losers, in which the object is to use the negotiation process to inflict defeats, then it will not work. It will simply be a repeat of past mistakes and lost opportunities.

In a peace process, the goal must be an inclusive agreement that is acceptable to all sides, is doable, deliverable and sustainable. That means enemies and opponents creating space for each other. It means engaging in real conversations and seeking real solutions. It means accepting that dialogue is crucial and that means recognising the right of the Palestinian people to choose their own leaders, their own representatives.

The Israeli government and other governments have to talk to Hamas.

Read in full:Gerry Adams: George Mitchell will need all his skills as President Obama’s Middle East peace envoy | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Mohammed Ibn Laith