Like the UK, the State of Israel too can say thank you for small mercies and look forward to a period of shalom with like-minded people here in the UK.
By IAN PAISLEYBRITAIN’S PRIME Minister Boris Johnson and Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn walk through the Commons Members Lobby after the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament ceremony at the Palace of Westminster in London in December.(photo credit: REUTERS)
I don’t like to compare disputed territories to each other. It does a complete disservice to the peculiar and individual circumstances, history and culture of each area, and while not trivializing a situation can make conflicts appear as if there is a simple formula to understanding and therefore to resolution. We all know these problems are much more complex than a simple comparative formula would allow us to understand.That being said there are always aspects to any dispute about which we can share an understanding, and it is with that in mind that I pen this article.The recent UK general election result gives many people across the globe who live in disputed territories much to be thankful about. In Northern Ireland we have come through a difficult peace process and are wrestling with resolving legacy issues regarding unsolved murders and a level of political instability that continues to paralyze functioning local politics.Anyone who has ever worked in the politics of a divided and contested territory knows that every action has a counter action on the opposite side of the dispute. Therefore, maintaining a balance is not only preferable but sensible to maintain momentum and progress without destabilization.External or for that matter internal interference that supports one side over the other can have catastrophic effects. The words and actions of leaders are vitally important to give stability and common sense forward momentum.The UK general election provided an opportunity for Jeremy Corbyn to become prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If this had happened his premiership would have had a significant impact on Northern Ireland. Corbyn has made no apology for his support for the campaign by the IRA to take by force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom.While the IRA bombing and terror campaign was at its height, both the Labour and Conservative parties maintained a position of non -support for talks with the leadership of the IRA’s political wing until it stopped violence. Corbyn actively courted support for those leaders and brought them to parliament for them to promote their campaign. He has never failed to hide his animosity for the majority British community of Northern Ireland whose self-determination and democratic right is to remain British, while he has pursued a policy of pushing them out of the UK against their will.IF CORBYN had become prime minister, even with all the political and legal checks and balances in place, his support for the Republican cause would have destabilized local politics, at a time of finely balanced political negotiations that would make the prospect of agreement less certain and probably impossible. He would have so soured relationships that progress would inevitably be set back by a decade. Even though Boris Johnson is a political enigma, the result of the election gives us much to thank God for his mercies.Corbyn, of course, has a history of supporting dubious causes. His alignment with all sorts of despotic and terrorist revenues around the globe is legendary. From Latin America to the Middle East his choice of causes to support has read more like a Who’s Who of the world’s most-wanted list.His succor to Hamas over the years, his leadership of what is now the most antisemitic group of politicians in Britain in its long history, and his apologies for extremist Muslim activity have been shocking, to say the least. If he had made it to Downing Street, it is unimaginable the damage his reputation would have done to international diplomacy, and the encouragement he would have given to causes espousing terrorism and the overthrowing of democratically settled regions.Like the UK, the State of Israel too can say thank you for small mercies and look forward to a period of shalom with like-minded people here in the UK.My new year was started off with a wonderful celebration letter from the ambassador of Israel to the UK. Ambassador Mark Regev wrote to me and thanked me and my party for the “friendship I have shown to his country.” We are the first country to have settled a multi-million dollar trade deal with Israel, looking forward to Brexit and the stability and opportunity that bodes for both nations that are so important.In my view, all that would have been jeopardized by Jeremy Corbyn. I look forward to continuing to work with Israel in the coming years and ensure that we are all thankful to the Almighty for saving our nations from a fateful premiership.”The writer is a member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
