New government an opportunity for Israel and Palestinians to re-engage, says Shatter

Following meetings with Palestinian officials, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence Alan Shatter said the formation of new Israeli government provides a unique opportunity for Israel and the Palestinians to re-engage.

On the fourth day of his Middle East trip, Mr Shatter met Nabil Sha’ath, a former senior peace negotiator, in Ramallah, along with Palestinian justice minister Ali Muhanna. The talks focused on prospects for renewing peace talks and Mr Shatter reiterated the Republic’s support for a two-state solution.

His talks with Palestinian officials followed his meeting the previous day with Israel’s incoming justice minister Tzipi Livni, who will handle the peace talks with the Palestinians. Mr Shatter said the appointment of Ms Livni brings new life into the peace process.

“The appointment of Tzipi Livni to the role she has deserves to be taken seriously. I think it’s a new opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to engage. I believe that it’s a very significant appointment as Tzipi Livni is very sincere in her commitment to bring about a two-state solution,” he said.

Although the complexities of the Middle East conflict differ from the challenges Ireland faces, Mr Shatter believes Israel and the Palestinians can learn from the Irish experience.

“The one thing we did learn from our own peace process is the importance of engagement, the importance of putting in place the building blocks of trust that are crucial for the process to work. I would hope that Ireland, either in the context of the EU presidency or individually as a State, can provide encouragement to the parties on both sides to engage with each other,” he said.

Perception of bias
Addressing the widely held perception in Israel that Ireland is biased in favour of the Palestinians, Mr Shatter stressed the importance of maintaining an evenhanded approach.

“I think only by playing an evenhanded and balanced role can we make a contribution of value to the peace process. I think it’s important we talk frankly to both our Israeli and Palestinian friends, and to be taken seriously by both sides – both sides must have the perception that we are acting in a balanced way and acting in good faith,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of a broader engagement with Israel.

“We have a lot in common in economic issues with Israel in the context of the high-tech and pharmaceutical areas. There is a substantial contribution Israeli companies can make to the creation of employment in Ireland and there is substantial contribution Ireland can make to facilitate Israeli companies using Ireland as a gateway to Europe.”

Syrian crisis
The ongoing Syrian crisis was also a focus during Mr Shatter's trip. Despite the humanitarian catastrophe taking place, he argued against western states providing arms to the rebels fighting to topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

“I think there is a difficulty with western states doing that and there’s a difficulty being certain about who are the people who can provide the leadership to bring about change in Syria and proper governance. It’s a conflict that everyone wishes to see brought to an end but the opposition remains divided and some are jihadist groupings,” he said.

Mr Shatter predicted Mr Assad may ultimately face war crime charges.

“He is basically waging war on his own people . . . Tragically and sadly I don’t see this conflict ending in the short term but I do think it’s very important the international community stays engaged and considers every possible option to end the death and destruction that is taking place.”