The Middle East mess

In the first of two articles, Gerry Adams recounts his visit to Israel and Palestine, where he met with senior Palestinian officials, Israeli NGOs and laid a wreath at the grave of Yasser Arafat

'It takes two hours to get through security at Tel Aviv. Sometimes it takes four hours.' That's what my briefing note promised. Among other things.

As it turned out we got through in five minutes. A very nice man from the Israeli Foreign Ministry whisked our small group through Passport Control. And that was that. He even asked us if we wanted to do without getting our passports stamped. An equally nice and very efficient team from the Irish Embassy took care of us at the other end and soon we were on our way to Jerusalem in a hired car driven by a talkative and informed Israeli man.

First impressions were of modern, well manicured motorways rolling out across a barren, hot, hilly and rocky landscape. Hilltop villages, occasional military bases and the odd flock of sheep or goats gazed down on the fast moving traffic. We passed through a few road blocks. None as big or in your face as the Brit ones which used to delay us in the North. To our bemusement, the young Israeli soldiers waved us through. But then we aren't Arabs.

The next few hours were spent with the media – who were not hostile to me or the things I was saying – and in an interesting meeting with Israeli and Palestinian NGOs.

"Ninety per cent of the Israeli or Palestinian people could draw you up the rough shape of a settlement in five minutes," one of them told us. All around the table, his colleagues nodded in agreement.

"The majority of people here know there has to be a settlement and it has to involve the Palestinians," a former Israeli government official said.

I don't know how representative these groups are and I cannot vouch for the accuracy of their comments. For sure there is a pro-peace lobby on the Israeli side, but it appears to have little influence on the government.

The government was being pilloried in the media over the war in Lebanon. But the main criticism seemed to be about how it conducted the war, not about the war itself. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was taking most of the flak – public opinion was firmly against him and the military was briefing against the government. Maybe this provides some opportunity for talks to recommence, someone ventured. Maybe, his peers responded, but we won't hold our breath.

Next morning, Dr Ahmad Tibi, an Israeli Arab member of the Knesset gave us a detailed breakdown on the discrimination suffered by Arabs living in Israel. A comprehensive briefing by the PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department gave us the latest details of the wall that the Israeli government is building through the Palestinian territories. I was familiar with the history of this monstrous construction which is in clear breach of all international agreements, accords and laws. But nothing prepares you for the sheer scale of the operation. A tour of the wall, the Israeli settlements, military installations and roadblocks provided ample evidence of the injustices heaped on the Palestinians.

Then we were off to Ramallah for conversations, by telephone with President Abbas, and over lunch with his closest aides and advisers. First I laid a wreath on the late President Arafat's tomb. It was a poignant moment standing in line with Palestinian soldiers in ceremonial dress in the compound which was bombarded and bombed relentlessly in the last period of Arafat's administration.

We arrived at the compound in a convoy of Palestinian vehicles which met us just inside the Palestinian sector. The security detail was professional and efficient, despite being without air conditioning in merciless heat. They brought us also to a meeting with representatives of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Forty three members of the assembly, including the speaker and some government ministers are in Israeli prisons. There are 10,000 Palestinian prisoners. The group we met included a legislator from Hamas, Dr Ayman Daragma. That encounter was the focus, particularly of the BBC and UTV correspondents who accompanied us from Ireland. Incidently while the BBC and UTV both sent crews, RTÉ Television could not be persuaded to even carry a news report of our visit. Section 31, how are ye?

My message to everyone we met was the same. Dialogue is the only way forward. All democratic mandates must be respected.

In Kalandia refugee camp, we met with former prisoners, including an 18-year-old who was just out after two years and the family of two young boys killed in the intifada. If time had permitted, we could have met hundreds more. Five Palestinians were killed the day before in Gaza. I left the refugee camp with a feeling of profound sadness. Our guide had put it in context for me when, in response to a question, he matter-of-factly told us the first refugees arrived there in 1949. That was the year after I was born.

That feeling of sadness stayed with me until I left. The mess in the Middle East is a disgrace and an indictment of the international community. To punish the Palestinians for the way they vote is not only wrong, it is also tactically and strategically counterproductive.