Horseman 77 wrote:
so whats your call on it? will it happen ?
It will happen. TBH it has been happening for years. Gerry and various members of Sinn Féin have visited Palestine often. The causes of Irish Nationalism, Basque Nationalism and Palestinian Nationalism are tightly knit together. They have extensive relations with each other. It is natural, after the relative success of the NI peace process, that Gerry and the lads should help out in Palestine.
The thing is however that Sinn Féin is aligned with the PLO, not Hamas. So I don't know how the lads will get on with those guys, I mean they're Islamic fundamentalists so who knows. At least PLO/Fatah are secular. Not to mention the fact that Israel will be extremely wary of Sinn Féin.
The article talks of 'risking US relations' - that bollocks. Sinn Féin, I would imagine, couldn't care less about what Bush and co thinks, especially given his current popularity. Sinn Féin is an extremely socialist (too socialist tbh) party - the current Republican party in the US is neo-con to the extreme - not a good working relationship to begin with. The flow of millions of dollars from East Coast USA to the Sinn Féin coffers won't be affected in the slightest and that's probably all that matters to them. Sinn Féin will grab the opportunity to help out their Palestinian brethren with both hands. Let's hope their expertise in negotiation and role as a trusted western representative for the Palestinian cause will reap peace dividends.
Last edited by CameronPoe (2006-09-04 16:16:14)