Ex Terrorist Trying To Turn Terrorists Into Ex-Terrorists

Not too long ago, Gerry Adams, leader of the political wing of the IRA known as Sinn Fein, was himself a terrorist. Today he is a mainstream politician in a political party which has done much to mend fences after decades of trouble.

Now, in a move that should finally put to rest the idea that talking to terrorists is futile, he's off to the Middle East to pay it forward.

Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Féin, is due to fly to the Middle East today to meet Hamas representatives and lend his support to the search for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The MP for West Belfast was invited by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas, which emerged as the strongest party in the Palestinian elections in January, is banned in the EU and the US, where it is deemed to be a terrorist organisation.

The IRA and mid-East terror groups have a long history of swapping knowledge on bomb design and suchlike - which is where the contacts for this latest initiative doubtless came from.

Of course, not everyone is happy about it. In particular, those who see their own political power as being dependent upon conflict rather than peace:

The Israeli government has made it clear it will not receive Mr Adams because of his intention to talk with Hamas. The White House reportedly tried to dissuade Mr Adams from going.

Given Adam's mission and his unique experience in turning terrorism into peaceful political process, such protests appear self-serving and lacking in vision at the very least. Adam's explains what he is up to:

"The Sinn Féin leadership has shared [its] experience of the Irish peace process with those seeking peaceful alternatives to conflict," Mr Adams said.

"It is imperative that genuine negotiation and dialogue between the representatives of the Palestinian and Israeli people commences as quickly as possible.

"While no two conflicts are identical there are key conflict resolution principles which can be applied in any situation. These include inclusive dialogue, respect for electoral mandates and respect for human rights and international law."

If, with his experience and old-days contacts, Adams can do some good, then surely that is something that should be applauded and aided.