Letters to the editor: How many must die before we take action?

One reader writes that 'at this stage, there needs to be an immediate implementation of sanctions on Israel'

Palestinians fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah during an Israeli ground and air offensive in the city on Tuesday. Picture: Jehad Alshrafi/AP

To the Irish Government and its representatives, I must express my utter disbelief regarding the current genocidal atrocities in Palestine. We are still waking up each and every single day to scores of Palestinians murdered and maimed by the Israeli army, its government’s actions and its violent, illegal, foreign, Zionist settlers.

While it is significantly important that the Irish Government has finally recognised Palestine as an independent state, it is abundantly clear that this is merely a symbolic move. It does not help those being brutalised every day by the Israeli apartheid state.

I, like many Irish people, warmly welcome the recognition of Palestine as its own state, but for the love of God we need to be doing much much, much more.

The harsh and devastating reality remains that Palestinians are still enduring unwarranted and unrelenting horrors, with Palestinians being butchered daily.

I woke up to the news that attacks on Rafah are worsening and dozens of children have been killed and injured.

As mentioned, illegal Zionist settlers continue to encroach upon and seize more land in the West Bank whilst terrorising and murdering the Palestinians.

At this stage, there needs to be an immediate implementation of sanctions on Israel. Without taking such measures, we still run the risk of being complicit in and facilitating the ongoing genocide and with it, the violation of human rights in the region.

To [e-mail]; [e-mail]; and [e-mail] where are the sanctions?

I asked the Irish Government a few months ago what their threshold was in terms of murdered Palestinians before they took action.

I can see the threshold is upwards to 40,000 murdered Palestinian people, with approximately 15,000 of those being children. So after eight months of genocide, we have now made a move of symbolic proportions.

So, my next question is how many more Palestinian children need to be murdered before you put sanctions on Israel? 20,000? 30,000?

Typing these numbers and looking at those zeros when referring to murdered children is just breathtaking. It honestly stops me from what I’m doing to think about it. And yet, we still facilitate all of this with the little action being taken.

In the words of Macklemore’s song ‘Hind’s Hall’: “What you willin’ to risk? What you willin’ to give? What if you were in Gaza? What if those were your kids?

“If the West was pretendin’ that you didn’t exist, you’d want the world to stand up and the students finally did.”

‘Hind’s Hall’ is dedicated to the little Palestinian girl who was murdered by the Israeli army alongside her family whilst screaming on the phone for help.

Upwards of 15,000 little Hinds have been slaughtered so far. So, what’s the threshold of murdered Palestinian children before we take real decisive action?

Immediate sanctions now. Nothing less is acceptable.

Dónal Ó Murchú,

via email

Palestinian history

Reading some of the twaddle in your letters columns, as an ‘Elder Lemon’ who remembers the 1940s, may I introduce some historical facts.

The state of Israel came into being in 1948 after three years of Irgun and Stern depredations, murdering British and Palestinian policemen (mandated by the League of Nations and the United Nations, to maintain peace), Palestinian women and children (Deir Yassin being notorious), and the infamous bombing of the King David Hotel.

In 1940, the population of Palestine (virtually co-terminus with Israel today) was estimated at 863,000 Muslims, 384,000 Jews, and 120,000 Christians and others. By 1951, the estimate was 1,405,000 Jews, 123,000 Muslims, and 50,000 others. In 2021, the population of Jews was 7.1m, Muslims 2.065m, and others 549,000.

What is the price of the Balfour Declaration, “it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine”?

Cal Hyland,

Rosscarbery, West Cork

State recognition

While I welcome the statement from the Government in recognition of the state of Palestine, I believe it will remain an empty gesture unless the Government takes active measures to back up their words with deeds.

Recognising the state of Palestine is the minimum that the Government could have taken. I would call on the Irish Government to immediately (1) enact the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill; (2) end the export of “dual-use” goods to Israel; and (3) halt all US military flights through Shannon Airport.

The US military uses Shannon as a transit point to send weapons to Israel which are used on the civilian population of Gaza and the occupied West Bank. I would also ask the Irish Government to sever all diplomatic, cultural, and economic links with Israel and to campaign for the complete isolation of the Israeli state.

Paul Doran,

Monastery Walk, Dublin

Unchartered waters

The controversial decision to recognise Palestine is one of the biggest decisions this country has ever taken. The EU remains deeply divided on this issue, and there is deafening silence from Brussels for the unilateral action taken by the very small number of countries in the EU, which includes Ireland.

We have now entered a war to some degree between Hamas and Israel which could be considered direct interference in other countries affairs — more so because Israel is a World Trade Organisation country and we are a EU bloc country.

How would we react if Israel got involved in Anglo-Irish affairs at the height of the Troubles and recognised Northern Ireland as part of Britain on the island of Ireland and suggested a two-state solution was the answer between unionist and nationalists? 

There would be uproar and fury from Dublin and of course Sinn Féin-IRA.

It is highly unlikely that there will be a two-tier solution because there is essentially no Palestinian state left, just rubble and refugees which might come our way after recognition.

In fact, recognition could make things worse potentially and has already done so diplomatically. Already, accusations have come from countries opposing recognition of Palestine in supporting terrorism and we have to take on board these serious remarks and not ignore critical international criticism.

Ireland and allies for state recognition are hoping many others will follow in recognition in building momentum. It will be a cold shower indeed if they do not, on those who have recognised who may face adverse diplomatic consequences and possibly sanctions from countries that see things quite differently on how Palestine is to be perceived.

We are in deep and unchartered waters and may have to deal with the dynamic of refugees from Palestine because we have recognised what are essentially stateless people. I believe state recognition will achieve nothing and will not stop the conflict.

In fact, it could make it worse and already has done diplomatic damage to this country. Sanctions against us could also be a net result of the Irish State’s foreign policy. The war between Hamas and Israel is essentially none of our business and viewed in the Northern Ireland context most definitely so. 

Israel will have every right to interfere in our relations with other countries now that we have interfered with theirs.

Maurice Fitzgerald,

Shanbally, Cork

A delicate balance

It comes as no surprise that there is a polarised reaction to the recognition by Ireland of the state of Palestine. There are valid concerns that it emboldens Hamas and provides them some justification for their terrorist actions of October 7.

However, it is important to look at this in a more balanced way. It is possible to recognise the right of Israel to exist in peace and security, while at the same time be critical of the illegal actions of the Israeli government in its collective punishment of the citizens of Gaza. 

Similarly, it is possible to recognise the right of Palestinians to self-determination within the 1967 borders while condemning the actions of Hamas.

Israeli criticism of Ireland’s action points out that it does nothing to advance the cause of peace. However, at this juncture the Israeli government is demonstrating no interest in peace, or Palestinian statehood. Any talk of negotiations by this and previous Israeli governments have been on their terms only, with no concessions or recognition of a viable Palestinian homeland.

Their current actions in Gaza and the under-reported situation in the West Bank reflect a policy that makes the possibility of a two-state solution untenable, which I suspect is what they have been working towards for some time.

Recognising the Palestinian state now, based on the UN recognised borders of 1967, allows Palestine negotiate the terms of its existence with the increasing support of global nations.

Ireland, having itself broken free of the yoke of colonialism, is perfectly placed to understand the importance, albeit symbolic, of this recognition. We have learned on this island that terrorism only flourishes the absence of a just society for all, and isolating terrorists only comes about when a peaceful alternative is presented. 

Nobody supporting the recognition of the Palestinian state could want Hamas to be part of any government therein.

If the US and EU really believed in the fundamentals of international law, then a fully supported UN mandate to secure the Palestinian state within the 1967 borders would long ago have been implemented. The ongoing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, without consequence, in the West Bank show that these parties are not honest brokers when it comes to Palestine, and only pay lip service to international law when it suits their agenda.

In their absence other states must step up. Ireland, Norway, and Spain are to be commended and hopefully more will follow suit.

Barry Walsh,

Blackrock, Cork