Northern Ireland's New First Minister: Hamas is "future partner for peace"

Drawing on her country's history, Michelle O’Neill, the recently elected - and Catholic - First Minister of Northern Ireland, said on Thursday that the terrorist organization, Hamas, would eventually be regarded as the "future partner for peace" in the Middle East.

In an interview on British broadcaster, LBC, O'Neill stressed the importance of communication, comparing the ongoing Israel-Hamas war to ongoing peace talks within Northern Ireland. In the interview, she was asked if Hamas would "eventually" become regarded as a "partner for peace."

"A long time ago the IRA [Irish Republican Army] was seen as a terrorist organization. The British Government and everybody else could not ever talk to them," the interviewer said then asked, "Do you think that Hamas, although regarded as a terror organization by many people around the world, is going to eventually have to be a partner for peace?"

"Yes," O'Neill said, "I think you only have to look at our own example to know how important dialogue is and that's the only way you're ever going to bring an end to conflict."

The history of the PLO (Palestine Liberation organization) and the south-African ANC (African National Congress) is another example of two liberation organizations that were branded "terrorist" by their enemies (Zionist Israel and Apartheid South Africa, respectively) who then partnered with them in making peace. The process succeeded in South Africa, but it failed in Palestine because the radical fundamentalist Jewish Israelis lied and did not live up to their own signatures on the treaties they signed with the PLO. They continued their brutal colonial program of stealiong land, building settlements and separation apartheid walls,  and killing and expelling Palestinians from their villages and homes.

Now it is Hamas's turn.

"If [Irish] republicans didn't talk to the British government or the British government didn't talk to the republicans in the past in Ireland, we would not be in the scenario we are in today, enjoying a peaceful and far more equal society today," the first nationalist First Minister of Northern Ireland continued.

She also called for an immediate ceasefire and for the application of international law in Gaza, in a jab at the US, the UK and Germany who continue to oppose a ceasefire and endorse the Israeli barbarity on the population of Gaza and the West Bank.

"And I really only hope that in the coming days and weeks that we can get to a point where we see a ceasefire in the first instance, that we have dialogue, and that we get to the ultimate position of having the Palestinian state recognized and a two-state solution that the international community stands for," O'Neill said.

O'Neill argued that Israel was bombarding the Palestinian people and not defending itself against the Hamas terrorists. "Anybody can stretch Israel's position of being one of defense because this is bombardment, day after day, slaughter of the Palestinian people," O'Neill continued.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill

"This needs to stop, and we need the international community to stand strong and to stay firm in the court of international law. That's where everybody must be," she said.

"And I really only hope that in the coming days and weeks that we can get to a point where we see a ceasefire in the first instance, that we have dialogue, and that we get to the ultimate position of having the Palestinian state recognized and a two-state solution that the international community stands for.’

O'Neill also condemned the October 7 attacks on Israel, saying that Hamas had violated international law by taking hostages.

"From day one, we've said that what happened on October 7 was wrong, and that does not apply in international law in any shape or fashion, the hostages taken was wrong," she said.