Letters to the Editor: Ireland recognising Palestine effectively rewards terrorism

Readers respond to the announcement that Ireland — along with Spain and Norway — will recognise Palestine as a state

Thu, 23 May, 2024 - 00:20

I strongly condemn the actions of the Irish Government in recognising a state of Palestine at this time.

By doing this, the Government, in the name of the Irish people, rewards the terrorism and barbarism of October 7 which was Israel’s 9/11 on steroids.

Ireland appropriately commemorated 9/11 with a national day of mourning and not with recognition of the Al Qaeda terrorists.

The recognition by the Irish Government of a Palestinian state at this time and in these circumstances is a legal fiction and at the same time a reward for terrorism.

It exposes the moral bankruptcy at the heart of our nation in a way that we have not seen since our government expressed condolences to the German people on the death of Hitler.

We were on the wrong side of history then and are on the wrong side of history now.

Furthermore, the Government claims to uphold international law, under which the legal recognition of statehood can only be conferred by a unanimous vote of the UN Security Council and certainly not by upstart national governments.

Clearly this action by the Irish Government is an illegal act and a paper tiger but it gives encouragement and support to jihadi terrorists everywhere who are not only mortal enemies of the Jewish people and who are also a clear and present danger to the whole of civilisation.

The chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” envisages the total destruction of Israel. It is perfectly obvious that the two-state solution, naively promoted by the Irish Government, is not the outcome that the Palestinian people themselves are looking for.

The Palestinian people are looking for a one-state solution. That is what their opinion polls tell us and it is even what the maps in their school textbooks tell us. We would be wise to listen to what Palestinians themselves are saying rather than to our own deluded imaginations.

A foretaste of what the road to that state looks like was seen on October 7, 2023.

Hamas and their Palestinian supporters openly celebrated the butchery of Jewish children, women, and men. They still glory in their evil deeds and in fact have openly declared their intent to do so again in the future.

And the response of Ireland to this is to reward their evil deeds and evil intentions by illegally conferring statehood on them? There is a saying that “you know a man by his friends” If so, what does that say about the Irish?

Paul Coulter, National Director — Irish Branch

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

Bray, Co Wicklow

Terrorists are those bombing Gaza

Ireland has been bending over backwards for the Israeli ambassador — inviting her to Fianna Fáil’s ard fheis, even grotesquely inviting her to a famine commemoration, while people starve in Gaza.

Now she has removed our trump card by expelling herself. The decision to finally recognise Palestine is the correct one. Yet Israel uses its weapon of language, saying we support terrorists. They insult us on the global stage.

A commonsense response would be to remove their power from them. We need to refuse to participate in the wordplay that Hamas and other resistance groups are “terrorists”. In my opinion, the people bombing a population in Gaza, starving them, and torturing prisoners, are the terrorists.

Let’s join the 162 countries in the world who do not designate Hamas a terrorist organisation, to remove the shrill voice of vitriol in our ear.

All remaining Israeli staff in Ireland should be expelled, and the diplomatic land taken and given to the Palestinian diplomatic mission.

Fachtna O’Raftery, Clonakilty, Co Cork

Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Store speaking in Oslo on Wednesday as Norway joined Ireland and Spain in recognising Palestine. Picture: Erik Flaaris Johansen/NTB Scanpix/AP

Ireland complicit in Israel’s war crimes

The Irish Government has responded to the wishes of the vast majority of the Irish electorate by belatedly recognising Palestine as a state. This decision is to be welcomed. The decision by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders should also be welcomed by all who value the rules of international and humanitarian laws. Being complicit with war crimes and genocide are also crimes that come within the remit of the ICC and the International Court of Justice.

The US and several Nato and EU states have been actively supportive of Israeli war crimes, and probable genocide in Gaza, by supplying large amounts of weapons and munitions that Israel has been using to commit those crimes. By allowing US military aircraft to use Shannon airport and Irish airspace, Ireland and its leaders and officials are at least indirectly complicit with war crimes and probable genocide.

Edward Horgan, Castletroy, Limerick

Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez arriving at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid to announce that Spain — along with Ireland and Norway — will recognise Palestine. Picture: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty

Recognise Israel as a terrorist state

Israel has once again insulted the people of Ireland. Now they have recalled their ambassador. After six months of conducting a genocide, they are the ones who are punishing us? The Irish Government should be ashamed that they did not expel the ambassador before, as hundreds of thousands of Irish people took to the streets to demand.

Israel accuses us of “supporting terrorists” by recognising the sovereignty of the state of Palestine.

However, we join 143 countries who already recognise the state of Palestine. Israel is running scared, and weaponises the false accusation of “terrorist” in their attempt to dehumanise Palestinian people who are standing up against their murderers. The only terrorists involved are Israel and the Israeli occupation forces. Hamas is not recognised as a terrorist organisation by 162 countries in the world.

Ireland should leave behind the genocidal states who insult us, and join the free world in removing “terrorist” from Hamas, and recognising Israel’s forces as terrorist.

Patrick Connolly, Clonmel, Co Tipperary

Shameful act

Recognising a Palestinian state is nothing less than rewarding the heinous action of October 7, 2023, and is a shameful act that will do nothing but inflame greater conflict and in turn does the opposite in assisting the people of Gaza.

Stephen Vincent, North Finchley, London

Pass the Occupied Territories Bill

It was notable to hear Taoiseach Simon Harris announce that he recognises the state of Israel within internationally recognised borders as a part of a viable two-state solution. He should therefore immediately pass the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 and simultaneously start advertising government positions for cartographic advisers.

Jim Roche, Irish Anti-War Movement. PO Box 9260, Dublin 1

President Michael D Higgins was among the capacity crowd at the friendly match between Bohemians and the Palestine women's national team at Dalymount Park in Dublin on Wednesday May 15, in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Long road ahead

During the declaration to formally recognise the state of Palestine, Simon Harris compared the situation to Ireland’s declaration of statehood in 1919. We would do well to remember what followed. The War of Independence the Civil War shootings, killings, the border campaign of the 1950s, and the Troubles. There is a very long road ahead.

Peter Declan O’Halloran, Belturbet, Co Cavan

Protect Moore Street

After the historic announcement by the Coalition Government, when will this State recognise and protect the 1916 Moore Street battlefield site, the most important heritage site in Ireland, as stated by the National Museum in 2012, where our Republic was born at terrible cost?

Proinsias Ó Rathaille 1916 Relatives Moore Street Initiative, Gorey, Co Wexford

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