Former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams met the assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in 2009 in Gaza. He recalls that Mr Haniyeh was willing to reach an accommodation with the Israeli state.

The meeting took place after an Israeli military assault on Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009 in which 1,400 Palestinians, including hundreds of children were killed.

Speaking today as Ismail Haniyeh is buried in Doha Mr Adams remembered his meeting with the Hamas leader. He said:

“During my visit a Sinn Féin delegation met a huge number of NGOs, Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, women’s groups, community organisations, bankers, the private sector, university heads, health staff, including trauma counsellors, and all of the main Palestinian political parties and a Kadima member of the Israeli Parliament and Palestinian refugees.

“For two days our visit was facilitated by the United Nations in travelling into Gaza. I met Prime Minister Haniyeh on Wednesday 9 April.

“In the course of our conversation I found Prime Minister Haniyeh willing to reach an accommodation with Israel. In a report published after the visit I recorded that Ismail Haniyeh told me that Hamas was ready to make compromises to achieve Palestinian unity; had no interest in establishing or sustaining Gaza as a separate political entity; wanted justice, stability, security and peace for Palestinians and Israelis. 

“The Hamas leader also supported a comprehensive ceasefire; the opening of borders; the lifting of the siege of Gaza; the two-state compromise and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the basis of the 1967 borders.

“He also supported the establishment of a long Hudna (long truce) to facilitate this as an important enabling element. That is a renewable ‘life long’ truce between the Palestinian and Israeli authorities.

“Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh – a negotiator in the current efforts to broker a ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli and Palestinian – and its actions in South Lebanon have raised a very real concern that the Israeli state is seeking a wider regional conflict.

“The refusal of the big powers like the USA, Germany, Britain and France to uphold international law undermines the possibility of real engagement to prevent this, especially while they continue to arm and support Israel’s assault on the people of Gaza.

“No thinking person believes them when they admonish the Netanyahu government for its genocidal assaults while at the same time they provide the bombs and the firepower.

“There is an onus on the international community to sponsor a genuine peace initiative in the Middle East. A first step in achieving this objective would be an end to the genocide in Gaza and to all armed actions by all groups in the region, an end to the supply of weapons to Israel by western states, humanitarian aid for the besieged people of Gaza and the implementation of international law.”