Now this is something I didn't expect. Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Fein - the political wing of the IRA, is taking a trip to Israel to meet Ismael Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas - the political wing of the Al-Qassam Brigades. For those who don't know, the IRA has a long history of involvement in the Middle East conflict. Everything from gun-smuggling to training Palestinians on how to build home-made mortars and pipe bombs. They even trained Palestinian terrorist organizations on how inflict maximum casualties on civilians, by detonating explosives in succession of each other in order to kill people fleeing the initial explosion. These are all IRA trademarks used by the organization in its 30 year "campaign" in Northern Ireland, and trademarks that have been emulated by Palestinian terrorists. Well it seems Sinn Fein's success in Northern Ireland (for those who don't know, Sinn Fein is banned in the Republic of Ireland's parliament) has caught the eye of none other than the head honcho himself, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah movement.

Quote: "Adams said he had been invited to the region by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Fatah movement that Hamas defeated in elections earlier this year. The two rival forces are currently negotiating about potentially forming a coalition government. The Sinn Fein chief said he also planned to meet Hamas leaders of the Palestine Legislative Council and deliver a speech at a peace center named in honor of Shimon Peres, Israel's current vice premier, who was a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994. 

Gerry Adams claims his visit is about promoting peace and honouring international law, yet when it comes to respecting the rule of law in his own country, Adams' actions speak louder than his words. And I'm sure I don't need to go into all the details. Gerry Adams masterminded the technique of "the ballot box in one hand, and the armalite in the other", in other words using the twin tracks of violence and politics to achieve a stated goal. And there is no doubt he has been successful. It is this approach that I guess has caught Abbas' eye. If President Abbas can create a coalition government that appears interested in peace, while at the same time distancing himself from members of his own party (Hamas) who will continue the violence, perhaps he can fool the international community and achieve his goal of destroying Israel, one way or the other. 

Source YNet News