Irish Examiner View: Palestinians’ absence means Israel and UAE deal is a farce

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces full diplomatic ties will be established with the United Arab Emirates. Picture: Abir Sultan/Pool via AP

The tributes paid to John Hume were a reminder of how very difficult, how very demanding building peace can be. Every effort he, and his non-violent supporters made, to end the North's bitter conflict involved Belfast, London, Dublin, Washington and Brussels. They also involved all of this island's divided communities though they were locked in what very often seemed an accelerating spiral of despair. 

Any agreement reached, or rejected, was with the approval or otherwise of all stakeholders. Anyone with a real interest was a participant, there were no interested, marginalised onlookers excluded from the peace-making process.