Ireland shows itself to be Europe’s most anti-Israel nation

The unanimous passage of the Sinn Féin motion falsely alleging the ‘de facto annexation’ of the Palestinian Territories by Israel is a damaging day for Ireland’s reputation on the world stage.
By Jackie Goodall
Published 27th May 2021, 12:22 BST
Updated 27th May 2021, 12:40 BST
The Dail debates a motion on 'the annexation of Palestine' on Wednesday May 26 2021The Dail debates a motion on 'the annexation of Palestine' on Wednesday May 26 2021
The Dail debates a motion on 'the annexation of Palestine' on Wednesday May 26 2021

It allies Ireland with the most anti-Israel of nations

In one day, Ireland backed a PLO resolution to single out Israel as a violator of health rights, passed with the support of all politicians and parties in the Dáil — a motion to make Ireland an outlier in the EU, and 46 TDs backed the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.

Yesterday, Ireland stood against the world’s only Jewish state and the sole democracy in the Middle East. Ireland sided with the likes of Iran, Turkey and Cuba and showed itself to be Europe’s most anti-Israel nation.

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The past 24 hours have been some of the hardest for friends of both Ireland and Israel to witness.

Following on from a shamefully vitriolic debate on Tuesday night, Ireland has pursued policies and actions to target the state of Israel and Jews living in their indigenous homelands of Judea and Samaria.

No sooner has this motion been passed, that the Palestinian lobby and friends in the Dáil and Seanad have now turned their attention to enacting the Occupied Territory Bill.

Ireland’s actions do not serve the cause of peace. Rather they embolden Palestinian terrorism, from Hamas war crimes to the PA’s Pay-For-Slay policy.

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These actions reward Iranian sponsorship of the Hamas terrorism from Gaza, but seeks to punish the right of Israel to defend herself.

In the debate itself on Tuesday, every charge was laid at the door of the state of Israel, from genocide complete with Holocaust distortions, to ethnic cleansing, to apartheid, to war crimes.

Deputy for Kildare South, Patricia Ryan, engaged in a vile diatribe where the compared the events in Gaza to those from the Holocaust.

Deputy Bríd Smith for Dublin South-Central, decried Zionism before attacking charges of anti-Semitism.

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Speech after speech, deputy after deputy, the same false accusations were laid at the door of a state defending itself from a designated Islamist terrorist group.

Israel continues to have friends here in Ireland, but can count no friends amongst the politicians in Dáil and Seanad Éireann.

• Jackie Goodall is executive director of the Ireland-Israel Alliance

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Related topics:Northern IrelandEuropeSinn Fein