West Belfast MP Gerry Adams joins the Belfast Media Group team of bloggers this week with his new 'Léargas' (Irish for 'view' or 'perspective') blog.

In his debut blog, the Sinn Féin President reflects on the political comings and goings of 2008 and turns his gaze to the invasion of Gaza. "It is no accident that these attacks occurred in the last weeks of the Bush presidency." he writes. "The Israeli assertion that its operations are in response to Hamas’ rocket attacks is threadbare. The rocket attacks should cease. Israeli citizens, like Palestinian citizens have the right to live in peace. The rocket attacks also play into the hands of the militarists on the Israeli side. The timing of their current offensive is directly linked, in my opinion, to Barak Obama’s move into the White House on January 20. It comes after a lengthy embargo on Gaza and the closing of border crossing. Those responsible seem to be about making sure that the ongoing crisis in the Middle East is the new US Presidents first foreign policy test."

The Adams' blog will be reprinted in the Belfast Media Group's weekly newspapers and, monthly, in the Irish Echo, Irish America's biggest-selling newspaper. Said publisher Máirtín Ó Muilleoir. "We're delighted to have Gerry Adams join our team of bloggers and look forward to his lively and incisive contributions to the political debate in 2009."

To access Gerry Adams' blog, go to www.belfastmedia.com/blogs.