Palestinian cultural tour to Ireland in limbo as Government tightens visa policy

'Travelling is a very important opportunity for the children,' says Mohammad Alazza, the director of the Lajee Centre in Aida Camp. 'The only time they can practise freedom is when they are abroad.' Pictures: Hannah McCarthy

About 40% of visa applications from Palestinian nationals have been rejected by Ireland since October 2023.

On the third floor of the Lajee Centre in Aida refugee camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem, Worod Al-Dibis is playing the Oud, a type of lute that has been played for thousands of years by Arab and Persian musicians. 

This afternoon, Dibis is playing a composition by her teacher, Tamir Al-Sahouri, a leading Palestinian oud musician with the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Bethlehem. 

Earlier this year, Dibis was preparing for the Lajee Cultural Tour to Ireland in July 2025. She was one of 40 Palestinian youth who were to perform music and the traditional Palestinian dabkeh dance in Dublin, Galway and Cork. 

Earlier this year, Worod Al Dibis was preparing for a Lajee Cultural Tour to Ireland in July 2025 as a part of a group of 40 Palestinian youth who would be performing music and the traditional Palestinian dabkeh dance. 

“Travelling is a very important opportunity for the children,” says Mohammad Alazza, the director of the Lajee Centre in Aida Camp. “The only time they can practise freedom is when they are abroad.” 

“You don't care about the soldiers — that maybe they will come to my house,” he says. “You feel more comfortable, because you know it's safe in some way.” 

The 2025 Lajee Cultural Tour had to be postponed after the Department of Justice in Ireland failed to issue visas for the youth group in time to travel for their tour in July. “I was so sad,” says Dibis.

“It's really painful when you see the reactions of the youth,” says Mr Alazza. “They informed their parents, their friends that they are travelling. They are excited and suddenly: nothing.” 

“We didn’t lose any funds due to the delays, thanks to the generosity of those suppliers who returned deposits we paid,” says Orla Ní Néill, one of the tour’s organisers in Ireland. 

“However, such uncertainties necessitate short-term planning which leads to unnecessary higher costs.” 

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said 1,790 applications have been received since October 2023, of which 1,068 have been granted. Israeli citizens do not require a visa to travel to Ireland for a short period.

The Lajee Centre in Aida refugee camp lies on the outskirts of Bethlehem. 

Ms Ní Néill says the organising group “is very disappointed the visa applications for our friends in the Lajee Center have been delayed so much we had to plan and postpone an itinerary twice in 2025 despite the applications having been submitted in plenty of time”. 

“We had two very successful Lajee tours in 2014 and 2022, and never before had these delays,” she says. “We are perplexed about the reasons. Our team of volunteers in Dublin, Cork and Galway are experienced and include a social worker with expertise in safeguarding.” 

Another tour group of Palestinian youth, which was organised by GAA Palestine and several local GAA clubs in Ireland, were informed they would not be granted visas by the Department of Justice earlier this year, due to a lack of compliance with visa application criteria.

So far, the department has not formally rejected the visa applications which were submitted by the Lajee Centre in May 2025. “This is the problem,” says Mr Alazza. “They're not saying yes or refusing some of the group or accepting some of the group.” 

The onset of the war on Gaza saw an increase in applications for international protection from Palestinian nationals in Ireland. In 2022, 37 Palestinians applied for asylum, before increasing to 118 in 2023. In 2024, when more than 45,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in the Gaza war, 955 international applications were made by Palestinians seeking refuge in Ireland.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan introduced new restrictions on family reunification and citizenship in November.

'We had two very successful Lajee tours in 2014 and 2022 and never before had these delays,' says Orla Ní Néill, one of the tour’s organisers in Ireland. 'We are perplexed about the reasons.' 

In 2025, there was a significant reduction in applications for international protection from Palestinian nationals, with only 154 submitted by the start of December, according to the department. 

The department said data on how many people applied for international protection after entering Ireland on visas was collected, but “is not managed in a format that would make it readily accessible”. 

The Irish Examiner asked Mr Alazza whether he thought members of the group may apply for international protection in Ireland. 

“We go together, and we will come back together,” he responded. “If someone wants to go back there and live there, that is something else.” 

He notes if any member of the group did not return, that would cause problems for the individuals and organisations in Ireland who have arranged invitations for the Lajee cultural tour.

“We're there to exchange cultures; to learn from other communities; to express ourselves through sharing stories, talking about our culture, and showing our cultures through music and dance,” says Mr Alazza.

Irrespective of delays with visas, international travel for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is often time-consuming and expensive due to the need to travel across the Allenby Bridge and fly from Jordan. 

There has been no operational airport in Palestine since the Yasser Arafat International Airport in Gaza was destroyed by Israeli forces in strikes in 2001 and 2002; while Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza are largely prohibited from using airports in Israel.

The Allenby Bridge crossing can be closed by the Israel authorities without notice, meaning Palestinians often travel two days before flights from Jordan and incur extra accommodation expenses in Jordan. 

In some cases, Palestinians with visas are denied permission to leave by Israeli officials at the border. “The whole thing is always a stressful situation for Palestinians,” says Mr Alazza.

“We are hopeful the Department of Justice can make their decision soon so we can get on with planning for the 2026 tour,” says Ms Ní Néill. 

“We are very grateful to our individual and trade union supporters who have donated funds for the tour. Many suppliers are offering us discounted services and we have a wonderful group of host families [with Garda vetting] in place. We are ready to go and everyone is very excited about welcoming the dancers, musicians and footballers to Ireland in 2026.”