EU and Ieland should show courage and talk to Hamas
Issued : Wednesday 20 January, 2010
Nessa Childers, Labour MEP for Ireland East has urged the EU and the Irish government to 'take a courageous step and meet with Hamas' in the interests of moving peace forward in the Middle East.
Nessa Childers has returned from a visit to Gaza as part of the largest political delegation ever to travel to the Strip. It consisted of 14 MEPs and 34 MPs from 13 countries. The visit included meetings with leading elected members of Hamas including former Prime Minister of the Palestinian unity government - Ismail Haniya, Irishman John Ging, Head of UNRWA in Gaza and the Egyptian Foreign Minister - Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in Cairo.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Strasbourg with all MEPs on the delegation today (Wednesday, 20th January), she said, "In light of the information we have gathered in relation to the political, economic and humanitarian situation on the ground one year on from the start of the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza, I believe that the time is now right for the EU to engage with Hamas. I would also urge the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin to explore the possibility of his officials meeting with elected Hamas representatives to identify how Palestinian unity could be re-established.
"Minister Martin is to be commended for the courage and compassion already shown to the Palestinian people. He was recently refused entry to Gaza by the Israeli government due to the Irish government's strong position on the Palestinian issue. I urge him to again attempt to enter Gaza and this time to do so with other EU Foreign Ministers who are willing to do so and view the suffering of the 1.5 million people on the ground for themselves, as I did last weekend.
"The delegation of 14 MEPs today also stated that we would seek an urgent meeting with the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton on the issue. She must visit Gaza herself as soon as possible.
"Because of our own recent history, Ireland of all the EU states is almost uniquely familiar with the difficulties and challenges of facilitating the transition of a militant group down the path of politics. I believe that there is a large and influential group within Hamas who are committed to fully embracing a peaceful and democratic path to a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.
"Our delegation told the Hamas leadership unequivocally that violence against civilians is unacceptable. We also made it clear that Israel's right to exist was absolute and that rocket attacks into southern Israel, from Hamas or splinter groups should stop immediately and permanently. Furthermore, we insisted that the captured Israeli soldier, Corporal Shalid should be released and that Hamas must work towards reconciliation with Fatah for elections to take place.
"Europe can play an enormously useful role as a persuader and facilitator in the region. I fear that unless the strong 8th December European Council statement is acted upon by the EU, the region will continue to be on the brink of further violence. As John Ging, the Irish man who heads United Nation's Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) told us in Gaza, the only thing needed to solve this seemingly intractable problem is 'political courage'. Sadly, this has been in short supply in recent times.
