Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The thorny issue of engagement with Hamas resonates with our own difficulties in engaging with people who had the Armalite in one hand and the ballot box in the other. We have had this discussion on numerous occasions since Hamas was successful at the ballot box. During my first visit to Jerusalem and Israel, the then Foreign Minister handed me the charter of Hamas and asked me to read the paragraph which declares that the primary aim of anyone who is a member of Hamas is the destruction of Israel. If we really want a two-state solution, it must be two states both ways. If Hamas is hell bent on the destruction of Israel, I am not altogether sure if we can engage with the party.

The absence of reconciliation among the people of Palestine and the ongoing battle for hearts and minds between Hamas and Fatah represent a huge tragedy for the Palestinian people. Ireland is forthright on the need for a Palestinian state, but from a diplomatic and democratic perspective it is difficult to negotiate with Israel when Palestinians themselves do not have the opportunity to speak with one voice. One of the main efforts we have been making at EU level is to engage with moderate Arab nations in order to assist the coming together of the two factions in Palestine. I hope this issue will be discussed at the upcoming meeting in Malta between the EU and the Arab League with a view to achieving some semblance of unity of purpose among the Palestinian people. The EU has made it clear that it will not engage with Hamas until it fully commits to politics and the peace process and makes clear its readiness to support the two-state solution.

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