William Matchett: Palestinian leaders, like the rest of the world, did not get the full story of how peace was achieved in Northern Ireland

Where today’s main pariah state is Iran, back then it was Libya. Having democracy collapse somewhere is detrimental to democracy everywhere. For Margaret Thatcher’s British government, the aim was simple. Defeat PIRA to end the bloodshed. Once PIRA is beaten what was commonly called ‘the Troubles’ is over. It was a twin-track solution. Security pushes as politics pulls. Only when the prison bulged and some of PIRA’s top serial killers, most of whom resided in the Republic, were lawfully shot dead, did the aggressor surrender.

It is binary choice. Democracy or PIRA. It is one or the other. It cannot be both. The same applies to Israel and Hamas. So long as Hamas exists Israel is under threat. Only one can survive. There is no such thing as a nice PIRA, nice Hamas, nice Hezbollah, nice Islamic Jihad.

Ask women and girls in Afghanistan. A powerful Taliban group exploited a weak West, throwing Central Asia into turmoil and encouraging democracy’s enemies, particularly Tehran. This and political confusion in the US placed more pressure on the only genuine democracy in the Middle East – Israel.

A Jewish people butchered by Hitler had now to contend with Iran and its Hamas and Hezbollah proxies in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, respectively, that, given half a chance, would finish what Adolf started. Indeed, PIRA was closely linked to Hamas and admired in Tehran. The same intolerant mindset is present. These are evil agencies.

PIRA and Hamas are criminal organisations based on hate ideology. They can never be tied down to explain one action, such as the recent horror inflicted on Israel. They are programmed to go into a routine of relating grievances from the last 12-months, last decade and last century.

They’ll go back to Cromwell or the Crusades and attach their version of history to a current gripe. It is always about land. Always about them. There is no thought for the people. Dealing with the here and now is impossible.

From a security perspective there is only one goal – confront the monster whenever and wherever possible. It cannot be contained. It can only be stopped, beaten, defeated. If you don’t win, it does, and when that happens you are gone. There is no more you.

How many police officers or soldiers were invited to the 25th anniversary of the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement? I saw none interviewed on the news or on a current affairs programme. My point here is this. Palestinian leaders, like the rest of the world, did not get the full story of how peace was achieved in Northern Ireland. Politically, neither London nor Washington wanted to raise the fact that effective police-led security had devastated PIRA. In other words, Palestinians were not informed that, based on the Northern Ireland lessons, to wage war against Israel is futile and certain to fail. A lot of people will die, especially Palestinians, for no reason.

Former PIRA chief turned informer Sean O’Callaghan was utterly repentant for his PIRA career. He warned, do not believe “the fragile peace Northern Ireland enjoys today is a blessing bestowed by Tony Blair, Gerry Adams, Bill Clinton and an assortment of peaceniks, chancers and conflict resolution groupies. Many such people have lined their pockets by grossly inflating their influence.”

Sean credited the rule of law approach of police supported by soldiers: “It was they who, more than any politician, forced the IRA to stop killing and bombing. They provided the opportunity for glory-hunting politicians to feel the hand of history on their shoulder and to conclude a squalid deal.”

This omitted viewpoint is what Israeli citizens will recognise as someone talking sense. Only from that basis can a meaningful solution be found.

William Matchett is author of Secret Victory: The Intelligence War that Beat the IRA