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ISRAEL HAS CRITICISED Ireland’s TDs for voting to declare Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories as de-facto annexation.
A Dáil motion, tabled by Sinn Féin, was passed last night after it received cross-party support – making Ireland the first EU country to make such a declaration.
The motion condemns the “recent and ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the occupied Palestinian territory”, and described the annexation of Palestinian territory as a violation of international law.
The amendment was defeated by a vote of 46 in favour and 87 against.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has rejected the Dáil vote as “blatantly one-sided” and said it would affect Ireland’s ability to take part in any peace talks.
Spokesperson Lior Haiat said on Twitter: “Israel outright rejects Ireland’s outrageous and baseless position regarding Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria [more commonly known as the West Bank].
“This position reflects a blatantly one-sided and simplistic policy and follows the unacceptable anti-Israel statements that were heard in Ireland at a time when the citizens of Israel were being subject to terror attacks by the more than 4,000 rockets that were launched from the Gaza Strip by the Hamas terrorist organisation.
The motion that was adopted today in the Irish parliament constitutes a victory for extremist Palestinian factions. This motion distances Ireland from its ambition to contribute and play a constructive role in the Israeli-Palestinian context.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said the motion passed was a “clear signal of the depth of feeling across Ireland”.
Hamas has fired more than 4,000 rockets towards Israel, and Israel has fired hundreds of air strikes against targets in Gaza, with more than 250 people killed in total.
The rockets have claimed 12 lives in Israel, including two children and an Israeli soldier. Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, as well as fighters, and have wounded another 1,900.
A ceasefire last Friday ended 11 days of fighting in the Gaza Strip, considered the worst violence in the region since 2014.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown TD Richard Boyd Barrett, one of the proposers of the amendment, said: “It is now high time that the Dáil and the Irish government move from words of sympathy and support for the people of Palestine to effective action.”
“The chronic repression, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and apartheid system that has brutalised the Palestinian people has to be treated like the South African apartheid regime was treated.
“There must be zero tolerance for Israel’s ongoing and systematic violation of basic human rights for Palestinians, just as there was for Apartheid South Africa.
“There is a historic opportunity for us here in Ireland, who have previously experienced oppression from an occupying power, to lead the international community in taking effective action against the Israeli regime who are inflicting untold misery and brutality on the people of Palestine.”
A 2014 video of Boyd Barrett talking about Israel-Palestine went viral this month.
With reporting from the Press Association.
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well done ireland
@frank_66: FF/FG/Greens and Labour all voted against expelling the Israeli Ambassador.
@frank_66: you need to keep the channels open to talk to people and expulsions tend to turn into tit for tat. We send theirs home, they send ours home etc etc. Far more useful to put efforts into looking at other ways to help the ordinary Palestinians, I’d say.
Well done to those who voted.
@MyBrokenKnees: i never checked who didn’t vote
@frank_66: labour
About time Israel was called out on its behavior. It will be interesting to see what other countries publicly condemn them.
@Jack Cass: none, because they’re not so nieve.
@Joe ryan: You need to go back to sharing all the quacks on twitter lol looney tunes lmao
- “blatantly one-sided”
Of course it is, the motion wouldn’t be ‘balanced’ would it, since the point is to address the conflict’s asymmetry. Palestinians can’t exactly move in and take any land back.
Brave step, let’s hope other countries in Europe have the courage to follow. This isn’t about hamas rockets and defending against an attack that was provoked in the first place by Israel, and a lot of detractors will come on here denouncing this and mentioning rockets. This is a humanitarian issue, it’s about land being taken by force from Palestinians.
@SPQH: well put… . the Israelis are masters at propaganda and playing the victim, they have their devious tentacles firmly wrapped around so many organisations, institutions, governments, media corporations, news channels, the Hollywood movie industry … the list is long.
@Gary G:
@Gary G: rude comment. If you object why not explain why?
@Siobhan O’Sullivan Morrin: Read the tools pedantic slagging to my comment.
Colonisers cry when called out of their colonisation efforts.
Fixed your title.
@Seán Ó Briain: Read the tools pedantic slagging to my comment.
They don’t understand that Ireland suffered 700 years of oppression and brutality from a much more powerful neighbour and as such can emphasise with the people of Palestine.
@Gary G: empathise. but yes.
@Accidental Gentleman: emphasising the empathy
@SPQH: Maybe you could throw a few Capital letters into your sentences.
Ah lads …
@SPQH: Ya nob.
@SPQH: Clown
As an anti-FFGG voter, my resolve was weakened when I read about this.
It hurts to say it but “Well done Simon Coveney. Fair play!”
@Bramley Hawthorne: was never a fan of his but he is nailing the Foreign Ministry gig
@KSham: Exactly why
Hopefully this will encourage other European nations to stand up to the Israelis and let them know their behaviour will no longer be tolerated.
Quick The Israelis are upset. We’d better send them an apology….
The truth hurts, Israel is not happy.
There must be an election due shortly it would suit them better to sort our own problems first instead of criticising others, but then most of our problems are caused by our own govt….
@Peter donnelly: there’s always one……and here he is.
@Paul Furey: do you have a problem with out govt looking after the people of ireland first a d when that’s done then we can look at sorting other peoples problems….
@Peter donnelly: Blow it out your backside.
@Peter donnelly: yes, such things as grammer and spelling!!
@Setanta Stylfox: poor setanta is that the best you can do, go back to your hamas handbook I’m sure you will find something better….
I’m no fan of champagne socialist Boyd-Barrett but his words are on the money here. Brave move by our country to call out the oppressors, despite their US backing. Now what other nations will be brave enough to take a stance against the Zionists? What’s the worst that can happen, fraudulent passports in your country’s name used by Israeli assassins perhaps?
@GrumpyAulFella: I wouldn’t normally be on the same page as you, but you are 100% correct.
And we now need, as a follow up, a new Dail resolution condemning Israeli Apartheid policies against Palestinians.. Well overdue
The truth hurts, live with it Israel.
Ahh, sure, God love them.
Ireland again demonstrating much of an outlier we are in comparison to our EU neighbours. Amazing for a country that is so pro-EU.
Not to mention that China seems to be above any condemnation, even for genocide.
@whitewater: ….that may or may not be happening. Different reports on that alleged genocide.
@Kieran Woods: millions of people rounded up & sent for sterilisation & re-education due to their religious beliefs. What are the conflicting reports from Chinese state media claiming?
@Kieran Woods: Forced mass sterilization of Uighur women and introducing Han Chinese families into Xinjiang sounds like genocide to me, just in the longer run and without the obviousness of the gas chambers. The CCP are playing the long game with Xinjiang, as they do with anything they do.
@Kieran Woods: It’s happening.
@whitewater: absolutely but thats for another day. I take it you agree Israel is stealing Palestinian land though… yeah? Good man : )
@Seamus Mac: You need to do some independent research on that!
@Kieran Woods:When the Dalai lama crossed Mao in the 1940s by asking for military assistant from Japan it was the start of a constant and meticulous policy of violent assimilation and extermination.The same policy has survived all those liberal opening ups and change of leaders.They are determined in these matters-thats 71 years so far and it actually became a mathematical ‘big data’ system under Chen Quanguo.So many would have to disclaim what happened in the same manner in Tibet under the same man who is governing Xinjiang.They’ve only just started that process there but they have it running quicker….they know to switch the CCTV off, Weixin ,Baidu and register SIMs with I.D cards and the PSB.So it will be mostly be hid from the media…. there is the problem and it going to be like that in the future.1 million in camps would be towards having one family member at least of all the families in Xinjiang in prison….they got 3 million under control in Tibet using a family coercion methods with imprisonments…etc So Chen is clearly improving his skills.
@whitewater: we’re not an outlier. The fact that so many other country’s are spineless makes then deniars. When we’re right, we’re right.
They are arrogant people Have been stealing land for many years.Remind me of another nation but I will not go there !!!
@Eddie Benson: Painting with a broad brush there “an arrogant people” would you be so comfortable posting such things about other people’s I wonder.
I don’t believe this was a pro-Hamas vote, it was for the people who live awful lives in a massive cage. 4000 badly aimed improvised rockets aren’t as powerful as a few highly accurate missiles. Attacks were carried out deliberately and with disregard for civilians’ lives.
@Jj: what do you think hamas were trying to do they fired 4000 odd rockets into israel what is israel to do just sit back and take it hamas just aims their rockets ( which are bought with charitable donations made by other countries )at israel not caring where they land, dont forget hamas’s main aim in life is to obliterate israel no matter what, israel’s rockets were fired with more accuracy at Hamas strong points which are usually in or near populated areas ….
David McWilliams had a recent episode of his podcast which discussed the Israeli Palestine situation pulled by apple. The confusing part is it was the most level headed, pragmatic conversation on the topic I’ve heard for quite a while. He reached out to apple to find out why they pulled it but as yet, no response. Very strange.
Why would the Irish government ever be able to contribute to a peace process that is absolutely controlled by the Israelis and the US government? Surely the Israelis can come up with a better response line? This is such a pathetic and childish response that it is really saying it’s impossible to defend the indefensible!
@McCarthy John: Pure speculation on my part but I wonder if the Israeli government are concerned about our potential influence on the U.S. Administration?
When Israel is criticising you, you know you’re doing something right.
Well done Ireland. I hope the rest of the world soon follows.
Israel bad & hamas/palestinian authority good, simple as that eh?
@Seamus Mac: it’s not about the people of Israel and the the Palestinian authority. Quite the opposite infact. Its about the Palestinian people and the Israeli authority.
@Darren Lynch: it is about the people of Israel & their neighbours & it is a very complicated situation. Taking sides as a populist move is short term thinking by this government.
@Seamus Mac: no , it’s stealing land is a very simple crime, international law is very clear on this .
@Seamus Mac: how is the Israeli state’s taking of Palestinian people’s land and homes complicated? Its extremely straight forward. You just don’t do it. And how the hell is it a populist move to condemn it.
I should have said how is the populist move in condemning it a negative. You’re right it is a populist move. But it’s the morally right move
@Darren Lynch: id say the Israelis would argue that security concerns justify the annexation (i don’t argue that either side is right i think they are both wrong).
Simon going for the shallow heads with more popularism. If he was genuine in his concern for international law he would condemn China for it actions on the Uighurs. Israel is a safe political target here in Ireland. Our neutrality towards the genocide of the Jews in the Holocaust stands as a pillar of this country’s anti semitism.
@Vinylman_Teaboy: Plenty of countries remained neutral during WW2,were they all anti-semitic as well.
@Ciaran: as one of the mentioned shallow heads you have difficulty understanding logic but here goes. Ireland is anti semitic therefore it has no sympathy for the Jews therefore it remained neutral in WW2, expressed sympathy on the death of Hitler, resisted Jewish refugees, etc. Sweden remained neutral in WW2 but played a significant role in helping Jews escape the Nazis. So no, you can’t reverse the argument as is the case with most killers are men but not all men are killers. Get it?
Please sign this petition in favour of the Occupied Territories Bill:
Should have happened a very long time ago, but let’s hope it’s more than just words.
Now that Ireland
recognises Israel annexation of Palestine land, isn’t it time to impose sanctions just like the EU did against Russia for the annexation of Crimea
Dont we have a couple of deployments in the area?
@motojack: nope. The UN have a few a couple of hundred miles away.
@Paul Clancy: pretty sure Syria deployment is/was in isreal and then theres our lads on the Lebanese side of isreal. Hope theres no fallback on our lads and lasses because of this :(
@motojack: we have 3 in the area https://www.military.ie/en/overseas-deployments/current-missions/
Looks like we might have to hold interviews to find another country to forge our passports for use in extra judicial assassinations, we’ve upset Israel so I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be associated with us any longer.
The vote had nothing to do with Hamas, who didn’t even exist for the first 35 years of the occupation, pathetic deflection from the Israeli officials.
Israel are only afraid now it will take traction in other countries
From article by Amira Hass, courageous Israeli journalist.
The Oslo Accords require the Palestinian interior ministry to report Palestinian births to the Israelis: The registry data must receive Israeli approval because without it Palestinians cannot receive an identity card or, in the case of minors – they can’t travel alone or with their parents through border crossings controlled by Israel.
It is clear, that the army knows the number and names of children, women and elderly who live in every residential building it bombs for any reason.
The numerous incidents of killing entire families in Israeli bombings in Gaza – Parents and children, babies, grandparents, siblings – attest that these were not mistakes.
I’m very glad to see that our country has the courage to stand against inhumanity. By the same moral code we should speak against other such situations. How can such a dilemma be resolved?
Well done to Sinn Féin
I’m sure he meant “ piece” not “peace”
“One Sided” more like on the side of righteousness.
Why was my comment taken down??????????
@Peter donnelly: ignore my last comment….
@Peter donnelly: no peter we’re going to get this misplaced comment a thousand likes !!!!!
The restatement
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