Prisoner swaps were cornerstone of Northern Irish peace process

Releasing prisoners deemed to be "terrorists" in the interests of building cross-community reconciliation is not unprecedented. It was a cornerstone of the Northern Ireland peace process. Conflict resolution experts have been urging Israel to follow the same path for many years, pointing out that opening the doors of the Maze prison outside Belfast in May 1998 was a potent symbol of dissolving communal hatreds. Comparisons between the two enduring, territorial disputes may not, however, be easy to read across. The freeing of large numbers of loyalist and republican inmates only came about following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and after the main paramilitary groups had demonstrated substantial commitment to a ceasefire. The deal was broadly acceptable to a war-weary society because the antagonistic extremes of the community both benefited while the middle ground could welcome the prospect of an end to violence. The 1=1,000 equation in the Israeli-Hamas exchange suggests more of a path-finding initiative than the first fruits of trust-building between Israelis and Palestinians. Any agreement that delivers, may nonetheless set an example of what can be achieved through dialogue. Writing in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in 2005, Dr Alina Korn, a criminology lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, said: "It is worth learning from the experience of the conflict in Northern Ireland. "There, the British and the Irish governments … agreed to release most of the political prisoners, even those with 'blood on their hands', and took advantage of their release to promote broad support for the political process. "… There is something about the release of prisoners that benefits those who release them as well … Opening the gates can make it clear to Israelis, once and for all, that there is a connection between Palestinian happiness and Israeli peace and quiet."