Irish Examiner view: Ireland has role to play in putting pressure on Israel over Gaza

Health workers lead chants as hundreds of people march for Palestine in Cork on Saturday, January 27. Picture: Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign

The Government has drawn a lot of international criticism for insisting that the lives of the innocent people of  Gaza are far more important than the seeming need of the Israeli state to wipe Hamas out of existence.

Since the outbreak of the conflict, Irish politicians have largely been on-point regarding the need to protect non- combatants from military action. That has been very much to their credit, as the world has witnessed more than 28,000 civilian deaths within the Gaza Strip.

Both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have been resolute in their condemnation of the viciousness of the campaign, despite facing accusations of antisemitism. Most Irish reaction has been similar, despite the sort of low-level tactics adopted before and after last week’s controversial basketball game between the Irish and Israeli women’s teams.

With close to 1.5m Palestinians now cornered in and around Rafah, and the Israeli defence forces preparing to attack, Ireland and its leaders remain steadfast in their view that there is no justification for the horrors being perpetrated against unarmed civilians. Irish frustration at Israel’s dogged stance is now being replicated at the highest level in America, whose thus far unwavering support for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be vacillating.

Increasing frustration in the White House has seen US president Joe Biden venting his anger with Mr Netanyahu for refusing to agree to a ceasefire. Indeed, his comments last week that Mr Netanyahu’s reaction to the October 7 Hamas attacks had been “over the top” reflect the growing pressure on Washington.

But it seems to have little impact on Netanyahu, who has again vowed to send group troops into the crowded area.

International pressure must be ramped up if lives are to be saved, and Ireland has its part to play in exerting that pressure.

Housing the house-builders  

With an estimated 50,000 construction workers in all trades needed over the next decade to keep pace with building demand, it is timely that money is being set aside by the Government to try and entice home many of the thousands of Irish tradespeople working abroad.

About €750,000 will be spent on a campaign to increase the numbers of men and women in the construction industry, and central to this push is an outreach programme to people in places such as Sydney, London, and New York to find out what it will take to get them to come home.

While the Government has rightly focused on schools and schoolchildren to highlight the benefits of taking up apprenticeships to boost the numbers of electricians, tilers, bricklayers, plumbers, carpenters, and any number of other trades, bringing workers home is seen as another viable way of filling the gaps in our native workforce. 

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is concerned that the growing desire of parents to see their children in third-level education has seen a huge falloff in those attracted to working in the construction industry or taking up trade apprenticeships.

He is also worried that, in all-girl schools, there are fewer technical subjects taught or modules offered which would encourage more women into the construction industry. His are worthy concerns and it is good to see him doing something to try to rectify an obvious imbalance in the jobs market. 

However, on the idea of the Government attracting Irish people home to help solve the housing crisis, there appears to be a major flaw: Where will they house them?

Pakistan elections

We Irish know a bit about winning elections from prison, but the feat pulled off in Pakistan last week by Imran Khan in winning a general election there was an impressive one.

Khan, the celebrity cricketer turned politician, was Pakistan’s prime minister until he was ousted in 2022 and then jailed last August, having fallen foul of the army which has effectively ruled since independence.

Slapped with two additional jail sentences in the days running up to the election, Khan was still able to mobilise his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to win over one third of the seats in parliament, which was enough to plunge the country into extended coalition bargaining. 

This was not the outcome the generals wanted. For the entirety of Pakistan’s 76-year history, the army has ruled directly or behind the scenes, but the result of this election has put the military hierarchy into a quandary about how it proceeds from here.

In truth, the election was chaotic from the moment it was called, and it was further complicated by the re-emergence of Nawaz Sharif into the country’s political milieu, having himself been ousted by the army in 2017. His Pakistan Muslim League (PLM-N) party failed to gain a plurality in the election, coming a distant second.

The army’s efforts in trying to stymie Khan made the election one of the least credible in the country’s history but, ironically, they also made it one of the most competitive.

That mobile services were shut down on polling day, causing results to be delayed and resulting in accusations of vote tampering, has caused widespread unrest, but it seems whatever coalition government is cobbled together, most likely consisting of the PLM-N and other anti-PTI groups, it will struggle for legitimacy. Sadly, this will only further impact on the people of a country which is already in financial disarray and in need of an IMF emergency bailout.

Those who voted to stand up against the status quo in Pakistan face only further instability and especially so as hardline military leaders try to fathom how normally successful repression tactics failed to work on this occasion.