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This past St. Patrick’s Day, Irish-Americans had extra cause for celebration. Early last month, the Northern Ireland Assembly unanimously approved legislation that will finally turn control of police and justice powers in the six counties of “Ulster” from Westminster to Belfast. By doing so, the body’s members resolved what many considered the final obstacle to implementation of the Good Friday Peace Accord of 1998—the agreement that ended a 30-year period of violent conflict that claimed the lives of more than 3,500 Catholics...
...spent several days in Belfast, Northern Ireland, interviewing people ranging from government officials to community organizers and cab drivers. In each of these conversations we asked a simple question: “What made the Northern Ireland peace process work?” Though the answers varied somewhat (often along sectarian lines), almost all agreed that the success of the Good Friday Peace Accord was the result of a combination of four key factors: courageous leadership by the relevant political parties, an inclusive negotiation framework that demanded commitment to a peaceful and democratic process, a strong public desire among Catholics...
...what does this experience have to teach us about the conflict in the Middle East? Northern Ireland Secretary of State Shaun Woodward summed it up best when he said, “The Israelis and Palestinians should see from our example that it doesn’t have to be like this. If you work together, that which now seems impossible can be achieved...
That promising message of hope carried us to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank. There we found much the opposite of what we encountered in Northern Ireland. The dozens of Israelis we interviewed, whether they were members of the Knesset, academics, or local entrepreneurs, all communicated a depressing lack of hope about the prospects for a peace settlement. Their main explanation for this failure was that the Palestinian leadership was divided between Fatah in the West Bank and the “terrorist group” Hamas in Gaza. As one Knesset member...
Twelve years ago Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland ended a conflict that many said was irreconcilable. As Irish-Americans celebrated St. Patrick’s Day last week and continue to celebrate the remarkable peace achieved on the Emerald Isle, it is important that we all remember the lessons that made that peace possible and how they can be applied to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve a lasting peace of their...