Beyond use

In a historic move the IRA has apparently agreed to stop all armed
activities and has put their arms "beyond use." According to Canadian Gen.
Chastelaine and two respected clergy (one Catholic and one Protestant) this
means that all observable arms (guns, artillery, bullets, etc.) have been
sunken in concrete. It is unclear why this process was not photographed to
document the fact, nor why the guns were not simply destroyed or rendered
unusable. Also, even the General agreed that there could be other secret
weapons caches that were undisclosed by the IRA that were not put beyond
use. This leaves some of the more extreme elements in the Unionist
community, including their leader Rev. Ian Paisley, somewhat skeptical. If
they could have other undisclosed weapons and if the process was
undocumented, they have only the word of three men, who while perfectly
honest and trustworthy, could have been duped by the IRA. It would not be
the first time.
While the situations in Ireland and the Middle East are different, certain
similarities in these two situations have been noted from time to time. One
element is becoming more similar, namely the need for the terrorist groups
to disarm, or be disarmed. Thus, while the idea that the Islamist terrorist
groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad would voluntarily put their huge arms caches
"beyond use" is ludicrous, Israel and the US have called upon the legitimate
governing authority of the Palestine Authority to disarm them, forcibly if
necessary. This was included as the first step required by the PA in the
Road Map agreement towards peace that was signed by Pres. Abbas on
behalf of the PA.
But, so far Pres. Abbas has preferred to maintain his tenuous hold upon
power in the PA rather than risk it by confronting the terrorist groups.
Although he has probably over 100,000 armed troops, security forces and
police he could call upon to stop the terrorists, first he has little idea
how loyal they will be, because they are infiltrated by the terrorists, and
second he does not know if he could win such a confrontation. He has
adopted a strategy of continually trying to persuade them that the best
interests of the Palestinian people are served by a ceasefire with Israel,
even though they only agreed to a temporary calming of the situation, that
they have broken continually when it has suited their purpose. Thus,
whenever they have felt like punishing Israel they unleash a salvo of
rockets
onto Sderot in Israeli territory.
In response, Israel has now adopted, after the Gaza disengagement, a get
tough policy, in which aerial attacks and artillery will be used until the
rockets definitively stop.
There is no similar situation in Ireland, or rather that stage in the
conflict has been passed. Now the IRA has come into conformity with Sinn
Fein in accepting that only a peaceful resolution can achieve any worthwhile
goals, and the dream of a united Ireland must await further peaceful
developments. If only the same stage of development could be said to have
evolved in Palestine. But, we are still a long way from any cessation of
terrorism and of armed conflict.