The State of Us - Did Northern Ireland really inspire Trump's Israel/Gaza peace plan?
Download Did Northern Ireland really inspire Trump's Israel/Gaza peace plan?
Donald Trump says the next stage of negotiations over his Israel/Gaza peace plan to end the war are under way.
There are no details yet though, about when, where or how that will be carried out.
The PM Keir Starmer says the focus in the days and weeks ahead is "the relentless implementation of this peace plan", which he calls "no small challenge."
With Tony Blair being tipped to potentially help oversee governance of post-war Gaza, his experience in helping to bring about peace in NI is being lauded as a blueprint for negotiations in the Middle East.
We are familiar here with talk of decommissioning, prisoner release and special envoys.
But can the diplomacy that took place then, really be useful now?
Kevin Connolly was a BBC foreign correspondent for more than 40 years.
He has covered his fair share of peace declarations and the aftermath, including here in Northern Ireland during the years leading up to and after the Good Friday Agreement.
He gives Tara and Declan his expert analysis about how much Northern Ireland's history can help in drafting a plan for the Middle East.
Get in touch: thestateofus@bbc.co.uk
Want to hear more about the Good Friday Agreement?
Have a listen to Tara and Declan on the Year ’98 podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0f6ltxb
Published on Tuesday, 14th October 2025.
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