'You rarely hear a cross word about Hamas': Alliance and DUP MP in spat over Israeli trade stance

Alliance meanwhile hit back, saying it has “never failed to condemn Hamas or October 7 atrocities” and adding that the DUP would do better to focus on “bread and butter issues”.

It all stems from an announcement made on October 16 by economy minister Caoimhe Archibald that her officials “will not engage in the British government’s trade talks with Israel while it continues to illegally occupy and impose apartheid on Palestine”.

At the same time, she had also said her department “expects companies seeking grant support to confirm that they are not manufacturing arms or components for countries committing genocide”.

Her statement said: “The British government carries primary responsibility for ending arms sales to Israel.

"However all of us in wider society have a moral duty to do what we can to end the illegal occupation of Palestine, the imposition of apartheid, and the arming of genocide.”

This has drawn fire from unionists, who believe that the minister over-stepped her remit because international trade is not a devolved matter.

The DUP succeeded in forcing a vote on the issue at a meeting of the Stormont Executive on Tuesday, but was unable to overturn her decision.

In the event, the Sinn Fein ministers on the Executive were joined by the two Alliance ministers in supporting Ms Archibald’s stance, outnumbering unionists who oppose it.

Mr Shannon, who is among the DUP’s most vocal supporters of Israel, told the News Letter: “I’d love to be able to say it [was] a surprise,” adding that there is a pattern of Alliance “very clearly siding with nationalists” over issues.

He added: “You never seem to hear a cross word or a bad word about Hamas – the terrorists who have killed blatantly across the Middle East.

"I very rarely if ever hear a cross word from Alliance in relation to pointing the finger at the people who are the perpetrators [of] terrorism: that’s Hamas.”

Mr Shannon also said that the parties “have chosen once again to divert their attention away from the pressing issues facing Northern Ireland in favour of focusing on issues that are simply not within the remit of Stormont”, adding: “Our constituents are crying out for leadership on the issues that matter to them every single day – health, waiting lists, school budgets, infrastructure and jobs – and it is time they got back to the issues that matter within the local Assembly, and leave these decisions of international trade to Westminster.”

The Alliance Party said in a statement to the News Letter: “Alliance has never failed to condemn Hamas or October 7 atrocities: it is possible to do that and condemn the illegal collective punishment of the people of Gaza and the genocidal acts of the Israeli government.

"The trade talks from which the minister withdrew have now been suspended by the UK government, making the argument moot.

"We also made clear our frustration that emergency Executive meetings are being called for such matters, rather than to clear the backlog of Executive papers being held up by Mr Shannon's Executive colleagues.

"Perhaps the DUP could focus on those bread and butter issues instead of drafting press releases attacking Alliance."

As of November 20, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported 69,513 people killed and 170,745 injured as a result of Israeli action since October 7.

Meanwhile about 1,670 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed (the bulk of them on October 7, followed by at least 471 soldiers since then in its ground operation in Gaza).

Meanwhile essentially all two million people in the Gaza Strip have fled their homes as a result of the Israeli bombardment.