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GAA Palestine founder Stephen Redmond with children from the Moataz Sarsour Club in Al Am'ari Camp, in the West Bank.

Taoiseach says he hopes GAA Palestine visa issue case can be resolved

33 children aged between 9 and 16 years of age were due to stay with 152 host families in Ireland.

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said he hopes the issues over Palestinian GAA team’s visa applications can be resolved. 

Speaking at Farmleigh yesterday evening, Martin said the “fundamental issue, from what I can gather, is the wellbeing of the children and the care of the children and ensuring proper guardianship and so on”.

As reported by The Journal this week, the group has been informed by the Irish Immigration Service that their visa applications have been refused due to “insufficient documentation”.

The GAA Palestine group, which helped to lodge the visa applications for 47 Palestinians who belong to sports clubs in the West Bank, has said they are shocked by the decision, and have refuted that any of the requested documentation was not provided. 

GAA Palestine had plans in place for 47 Palestinians to travel here, including 33 children aged between 9 and 16 years of age.

A total of 152 families in Ireland had signed up to host the group as they were to travel around Ireland. 

The tour was due to kick off on 18 July, and it had garnered major support from Irish host families who were to welcome the Palestinians into their homes, and from clubs that have been fundraising to help finance the trip.

Tánaiste Simon Harris said yesterday that “careful consideration” was given to a number of Palestinian visa applications who wished to travel to Ireland for a GAA tour this month.  

The Taoiseach said that Ireland’s visa system is fair and objective, “so we don’t regularly intervene in the operation of that”.

He added that the Minister for Justice is aware of the situation. 

“Hopefully these issues can be resolved, but there is an appeals process there, I think that should be utilised,” concluded the Taoiseach.

Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald has today called on the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to act compassionately and work with GAA Palestine so that visas can be issued for the children to travel from the West Bank.

“People across the country want this sorted and I think we should be doing everything that we can to make it happen,” she said. 

“This is the trip of a lifetime for these children.  In the midst of the trauma they have been living through they have been training day after day to learn to play hurling. The love they have for the games is clear for everyone to see.

“The preparation that has gone into the trip is huge – submitting the necessary paperwork, raising money, getting host families, arranging the games. GAA Palestine are to be commended for all that they have done,” she added. 

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