The continuing horror in Gaza touches us all deeply, even if only vicariously. It leads us ineluctably to the question, often asked in exasperation: Is there no solution?

But we’ve been here before and some point to the 1998 Belfast Good Friday Agreement (BGFA), which ended the Troubles in Northern Ireland, as a possible model for the problem of Palestine. How plausible is that approach?

In an article in Pearls and Irritations I look at how the BGFA came about and explore whether a similar solution might be found in the case of the Israel-Palestine conflict. In doing so, I note that all analogies are flawed. Situations are never the same and holes abound in solutions that seek to apply lessons from the past to problems of the present. Yet, misquoting George Santayana, I observe that if we ignore the past we are condemned to repeat it. While history might not provide the answer, it may provide insights that help us find it.

One of the insights I discuss is the need for a leader or leaders with sufficient street cred to emerge and steer the movement in a new direction. This was the case with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. We had earlier seen it with Michael Collins. South Africa is another example, with Nelson Mandela. Also there needs to be a similar leader on the other side as well as an honest broker.

After listing the differences between Northern Ireland and Palestine, I concede that the pathway forward is difficult to see. But I go on to say that such was the case in Northern Ireland until John Hume illuminated it. Although the BGFA might not provide a model for solving the problem of Palestine, it does provide hope and also some insights that might help to find the elusive pathway forward.