Lessons from the Irish peace process on the Middle East disaster 

Ciarán Quinn, the Sinn Féin representative to North America, shares his thoughts on what can be learned from Northern Ireland's peace process.

I believe that you can only know the real value of peace and justice if you have been touched by conflict and injustice. This has been a very dark week.

Last Saturday we woke to the news that Hamas had launched rockets into Israel and breached the cordon around Gaza. Within hours the reports were on social media of hostage-taking, mass killings at a music festival, and in Israeli communities. All completely wrong and unconscionable. Their actions are beyond condemnation.

These Hamas fighters knew they would also likely be killed. Devoid of hope with no reason to live; their value found in a cause to die for. They made their choice and many innocent Israelis paid the price.

Immediately, the focus turned to the Israeli government's response. Their right to self-defense, peace, and security is undeniable. Rights that are shared with all nations including the Palestinians.

The bombardment started. Plans for a siege of Gaza were prepared; food, water, and fuel were to be denied. The bombs do not discriminate between Hamas members and civilians. They destroy all. We watched as the death toll in Israel and Gaza mounted. Like a depraved balance sheet, perhaps once the accounts balanced the fighting would end. Revenge and retribution are not a strategy for peace.

The first and only question in a violent conflict should be how to bring it to an end. No doubt some believe that peace will come about by the leveling of Gaza and the subjugation of the Palestinian people.

That has not worked. Israel has locked tens of thousands in jails, restricted the movements of Palestinians, and seized lands against international law. The international community looked away.

A section of Palestinians, have lost all faith in the political process. This is in no way an excuse for the actions of Hamas. However, it is a recognition that the strategy of successive Israeli governments and the international community has not delivered peace or security in the region. It now looks like the current government is about to double down on that failed strategy and it will be innocent Palestinians that will pay the price. The spiral of conflict will deepen.

I lived through the longest period of continuous conflict in Irish history. A war of grinding attrition that was deemed irresolvable. But a peace process was built, by demonstrating an alternative to violence. Legitimate grievances could be addressed, universal rights recognized, agreements reached and the primacy of democracy and politics asserted over conflict.

All of that requires compromise. The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians can resolved. A lasting peace cannot be imposed by a military victory. It requires dialogue, ceasefires, and a commitment to a peaceful resolution. The international community has an obligation not to deepen the conflict but to stand over international law and the rights of all, Israeli and Palestinian.

As our peace process was developing, international actors supported and facilitated dialogue and agreements. It is a debt that Ireland owes other areas in conflict.  

In the darkest of days, we can always light a candle.

* Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin representative to North America.