I see that the IRA has issued an apology for the deaths of "noncombatants" in the last 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland. You can read the text of the apology here.

Not everyone is happy with this, of course. An apology is generally more symbolic than anything else, though those symbols often mean a lot to their recipients. And as recent news stories have shown, not everyone has necessarily gotten the message.

But let's face it: If the PLO or Hamas ever issued such a statement, there would be a whole lot more hope for peace in the Middle East. For that reason, I applaud the IRA. A step in the right direction is always a good thing.