Star of David marked outside Palestinian restaurant Izz Cafe branded an act of intimidation
Izzeddeen Alkarajeh: 'The incident is nothing compared to what is being done to the people in Gaza.' File picture Dan Linehan
A Star of David marked on the path outside a Palestinian restaurant in Cork City has been condemned as an attempt to intimidate the owners and staff.
On Friday morning, the graffiti was found outside Izz Cafe on George's Quay.
It was first discovered by a neighbouring business owner, who then alerted owner, Izzeddeen Alkarajeh.
Paul Walsh, owner of Three Little Piggies, said as far as he could tell, the marking on the pavement was not painted on or scratched but instead appeared as if someone had used a powerwasher and a stencil.
He said it did not look like something that was done spontaneously but rather something that was pre-planned and would have taken time to carry out.
Mr Alkarajeh came to Ireland in 2016 with Jordanian wife Eman and their children.
"I do not know if he is someone related to Israel or not," he said of the person who made the mark.
Speaking to 96FM with PJ Coogan, Mr Alkarajeh said the incident, while unfortunate, was nothing compared to what is being done to people in Gaza.
"This is not war, this is not something acceptable and it must end. Occupation is not accepted anymore. Genocide cannot be committed in front of our eyes."
The person who did the graffiti has a limited understanding of the conflict and they should go and educate themselves more on the matter, Mr Alkarajeh said.
"The Israeli flag is not about a respectful, normal state that they can express any respect to. It is a flag that represents a rogue state that is not abiding by international law and they are performing a live genocide.
"If they are real human beings, they would discover that they are not on the right side of the conflict," he added.
The popular restaurant owner spoke of the kindness he and his family have witnessed since the escalation of the attack on Palestine.
As first reported in the Irish Examiner, a local woman who is Jewish approached Mr Alkarajeh's wife and asked to speak with her one day and expressed her solidarity with the people of Palestine.
"She hugged her and she was crying. She said 'I don't support this. I don't want this to be happening to your people. We love you, we know you are good people'.
"She said she was deeply sorry for what is going on and did not support genocide."
Mr Walsh took the opportunity to praise Mr Alkarajeh, his family and his staff for all the good that they do.
"He celebrates his culture, his upbringing and everything. He has raised thousands and thousands of euro for medical aid and food aid to help during the conflict at the moment," Mr Walsh said.
"I know him and his wife well, they are two beautiful people who preach nothing but peace and love and they want a peaceful resolution to all of this."
He condemned the actions of the perpetrator and said he viewed it as a blatant attempt to intimidate the people of Izz Cafe.
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