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Time is right to talk to Hamas, says Childers in Gaza (21st January, 2010)

January 21, 2010 at 1:31 pm Leave a comment

The Minister for Foreign Affairs should show ‘political courage’ and meet with Hamas, Ireland East MEP Nessa Childers said this week. The Labour MEP was speaking on her return from Gaza, which she visited as part of a 50-strong EU political delegation.
It was Ms Childers’ first trip to the Middle East, and her Facebook blog of the journey paints scenes of ‘unbelievable destruction and devastation’. This contrasts with the warm welcome received from the people of Gaza, whom she describes as ‘overwhelmingly welcoming and genial’. The MEP also met with leading members of Hamas, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, and Irishman John Ging, who works with the UN in Gaza.
Having assessed the ongoing political, humanitarian and economic crisis in Gaza one year after the Israeli invasion, Ms Childers said she believes the Irish government should now ‘take a courageous step’ and send Minister Micheál Martin to meet elected Hamas representatives to identify how to re-establish Palestinian unity.
‘Ireland of all the EU states is almost uniquely familiar with the challenges of facilitating the transition of a militant group down the path of politics,’ she said, adding that she believes there is a large and influential group within Hamas who are fully committed to peace. ‘Europe can play an enormously useful role as facilitator in the region – all that’s needed is political courage’, said the MEP.

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