Israel has accused the Irish of being one of the most antisemitic countries in Europe.
That really is quite an allegation, and one that can’t be dismissed lightly. Why would they level such a charge against us?
On October 7th 2023 Hamas (A terrorist organisation that controls much of Gaza) launched a vicious attack against Israel. 1,139 people were killed/murdered that day.
Ireland, along with the Western World condemned the attack. Rightly so. The attack by Hamas was terrorism, a brutal attack on civilians, some of whom were simply attending a festival.
The retribution by Israel has been swift an ongoing. The BBC quotes a figure of 46,006 people killed in Gaza so far.
Israel has the right to defend itself. That is not questioned by any major government. However, what is happening in Gaza goes far beyond self defence. It is an attack on a whole people.
Over the course of this war people have lost their homes, their property, their lives. Most of those suffering are civilians.
- As reported by Al Jazeera and CNN, some babies have died from hypothermia.
- By December 31st there have been 136 attacks on hospitals.
- Media organisations are not allowed into Gaza
- The sanitation and health situation is so bad that Polio became a concern, and the WHO undertook an emergency vaccination programme
The question is, though, is all of the above Genocide? That is a huge question/accusation, and one that needs to be taken seriously.
The International Criminal Court has become so concerned with the actions of Prime Minister Netanyahu that it issued an arrest warrant for him on 21st November.
South Africa has taken a case to the Internal Court of Justice to broaden the definition of Genocide. Ireland has lodged an intervention in this case (effectively supporting South Africa’s argument).
On 28th May 2024 the Irish Government, along with Spain and Norway, recognised the State of Palestine. As you can imagine, this move was met with fury by the Israeli government.
Between the Irish recognition of the State of Palestine, and its Intervention in the ICJ case, the Israeli Government has become so angry that it has closed its embassy in Dublin, labelling the country as antisemitic.
As a people we have tended to be sympathetic towards the plight of the people of Gaza. Israeli supporters are using a zero-sum fallacy here. If you support Palestine, then you must hate us.
No.
It is possible to both condemn the actions of Hamas and the actions of the Israeli State.
Israel needs to stop this war, and allow International efforts into Gaza to help the people there. The trauma and destruction will take generations to fix, and that work needs to start.
Finally, have a look at this summary by Al Jazeera of the damage inflicted by 8th October 2024.
John Hurley 