Alastair Crooke

Alastair Crooke (b. 1950) is a British diplomat, the founder and director of the Conflicts Forum. Previously he was a ranking figure in both British intelligence (MI6) and European Union diplomacy. 
Crooke was a Middle East advisor to Javier Solana (1997 - 2002), involved in the diplomatic efforts in the Siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, was a member of the Mitchell Committee into the causes of the 2000 Intifada, and held clandestine meetings with the Hamas leadership in June 2002. He is an active advocate of engagement with Hamas to whom which referred as "freedom fighters". 
Crooke studied at the University of St Andrews (1968-1972), from which he obtained an MA in Politics and Economics.
== References ==
* Daniel Pipes, Alastair Crooke's Conflict Forum and Sharing Jokes with Hamas, Jerusalem Post, April 20, 2005. 
* Alastair Crooke biography
* Alastair Crooke, a mini-biography
* Fitzgerald: Follow the money trail, July 14, 2006. 
* Alastair Crooke, 
* The Essence of Islamist Resistance: A Different View of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, New Perspectives Quarterly, Spring 2009. 
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Category:European Union diplomats
Category:MI6 personnel
Category:Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Category:British foreign policy writers
Category:Writers on the Middle East
Category:Living people
Category:Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Category:1950 births