Ireland is the largest supporter of Palestine within the European space, as Palestine witnesses solidarity among the Irish people, as the Republic’s representatives have pressed within the European Parliament to make decisions in favor of the Palestinians. This solidarity is due to the two peoples sharing the suffering of colonialism.
Since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, on the seventh of last October, the Irish government has taken a position in support of the Palestinian people, denouncing the crimes of genocide committed by the occupation against them, while the Irish people led demonstrations in solidarity with their Palestinian counterpart, demanding an end to the massacres they are committing. The Israeli occupation army.
Dublin is the largest supporter of Palestine in Europe, and used its entry into the Union as a tool to defend the Palestinians within the European Council and Parliament. Analysts agree that the reasons for the Irish's solidarity with the Palestinians are due to the two peoples' shared suffering from colonialism.
Solid support
While most European countries were quick to line up behind Israel in its recent aggression against Gaza, including the President of the European Commission who announced the European Union's "unconditional support" for Israel, Ireland was on the side of the Palestinian people, and Irish President Michael Higgins criticized von der's statements. Line, saying she "does not speak for Ireland, nor does she speak for the views that Irish people hold."
Supporting Palestine is a well-established position of Irish governments, as Ireland was one of the first Western countries to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people to independence. At the conclusion of the European Summit, on Thursday, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that his country “talked about recognizing Palestine,” which was welcomed by other European countries.
Varadkar added, "A number of European Union countries working together to recognize Palestine could allow for more equal negotiations after the end of the war in Gaza within the framework of the two-state solution."
The Irish Prime Minister called on his counterparts in the European Union to review the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel, due to the latter’s human rights violations. He said: "Relations between the European Union and Israel are based on an agreement that includes a clause related to human rights, and many of us believe that Israel may violate this agreement."
According to a report by Anatolia Agency, for many in Ireland, Israel is closer to a colonial entity created by British influence by force, and determined to impose itself on the indigenous population. According to opinion polls , 71% of Irish people view Israel as an apartheid state.
Why does Ireland support the Palestinian cause?
Analysts attribute Irish steadfast support for Palestine to the peoples of both countries sharing their suffering from colonialism. During its colonization of Ireland, Britain committed many atrocities , most notably during the mid-19th century AD, which led to the killing of about a million Irish people and the displacement of another million and a half to the United States.
In his conversation with TRT news, Irish activist Ibrahim Halawa believes that the Irish position in support of Palestine goes back to the history of the joint struggle between the two countries, because the world’s governments failed Palestine and Ireland during their struggle against colonial powers, which makes the Irish side keen to provide all means of support to the Palestinians. .
Halawa stressed that "both countries felt that they shared the pain caused by an aggressive colonial power."
The British newspaper The Guardian wrote that solidarity with Palestine is part of the general psychology of Irish society. The newspaper quoted Jane Ohlmeyer, a professor of history at Trinity College in Dublin, as saying that Ireland is the oldest British colony and a model for Palestine, which “undoubtedly shaped the way the Irish people deal with post-colonial conflicts.”
According to an article by Foreign Policy, Ireland's rebellion against British colonialism, which plunged the island into a painful civil war that led to its division, and thus the Irish draw parallels between the policies of the Israeli occupation and the division they are experiencing. This is also confirmed by the statements of many Irish politicians, especially from the left-wing Sinn Féin party.
In 2021, following the Irish Parliament's vote to criminalize Israeli settlement, John Bowen, Sinn Féin's foreign affairs spokesman, described the move as a direct result of Israel's actions and an expression of "the common links between Irish and Palestinian suffering."
The Guardian: The whole world is screaming for a ceasefire in Gaza So why on earth is it not happening!
London - The Guardian newspaper published an opinion article by Simon Teasdale in which he wondered why a ceasefire was prevented in Gaza, and believed that the personal interests of world leaders are what stands in the way of achieving this.
He said: “The people of Gaza are raising their voices demanding a ceasefire , and every day brings them more blood and more destruction, hunger, disease and tears. To be more specific: there are about 28,000 Palestinians. The total number is about 100,000 Palestinians killed, injured or missing. Among the missing are a large number of deformed orphaned children, with trauma that accompanies them for the rest of their lives. Around the world, millions of people are calling for a ceasefire. They are calling on political leaders to do more and stop the killing now. In mosques, churches, and synagogues, people of all religions pray until the slaughter stops.”
The United Nations, whose agencies no longer have any descriptions to describe the horror of Gaza, or are now calling desperately. This war is inhumane, immoral and unjust. It is a disgrace to us all, and must stop immediately. But what's stopping her? Why on earth is there no ceasefire?
He said that Israel lost 1,200 in Hamas attacks and a large number of soldiers who were sent to avenge them and were hostages of Hamas.
All the Arab and European governments, Russia, China and Iran want a ceasefire, a truce or a “humanitarian pause,” or at least, that is what they say. The Houthis in Yemen and the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria promised that they would stop their attacks if a ceasefire occurred in Gaza. A ceasefire will reduce the risks of a widespread war catastrophe in the region.”
Tisdall believes that “the international position is clear, and there is an international consensus, which has been expressed, and on an ongoing basis, in the United Nations, whose agencies no longer have any descriptions to describe the horror of Gaza, or are now making desperate appeals. This war is inhumane, immoral and unjust. It is economically and politically devastating. It is a disgrace to us all, and must stop immediately. But what's stopping her? Why on earth is there no ceasefire?
He says that every day is like a merry-go-round in an amusement park. Officials participating in the negotiations indirectly and Arabs mediating in the talks express cautious progress, then hopes fade and are revived again.
For the Palestinians stuck in Gaza, and the families of the hostages, this is painful. Hope was renewed after the proposals presented by Hamas at the end of the week. Tisdale believes that even if an agreement is reached in the end, what is the reality of its implementation and continuation, in addition to bringing peace? The problem, long and short-term, is the contradictory agendas between the parties involved in the war. No deal happens in the absence of basic trust.
Unwisely, Joe Biden links the Gaza deal to his overly ambitious plan to reach a settlement in the Middle East. And in the first place
The White House wants a “sustainable cessation of hostilities,” but continues to oppose a general ceasefire, because that would leave Hamas undefeated and in power, which is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says.
Biden’s “grand deal” includes Israel’s acceptance of the vague “political horizon” of the Palestinians who want an independent state. However, normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is the greatest prize, not the right to self-determination for the Palestinians. As long as Biden refuses to stand up to Netanyahu, the influence of the United States will remain limited. If Trump wins the November elections, American support for Israel will become unconditional, as Trump's friend, Netanyahu, knows well.
Tisdale comments that Biden's plan reflects his electoral need to achieve a major victory in foreign policy, and does not care about what is actually required, namely a permanent ceasefire.
In Israel, there is an unpopular prime minister who absolutely refuses Hamas’ call for a permanent ceasefire, because this frustrates his continuous calls to erase his enemy and achieve “comprehensive victory.” Also, his goal of maintaining security in Gaza permanently will not be practical, and he abhors the idea of a Palestinian state.
The history of the Palestinians is a history of screams, anger, and pain, and applying bandages will not work. Backroom deals and bad concessions fall apart
Netanyahu was unable to free the hostages through military pressure, which he said would be enough to end the mission. Hamas was not defeated after four months of war. Many Israeli soldiers died in the war. This is on top of his failure on October 7, and it should be enough to end Netanyahu. A ceasefire for several weeks and pressure to make it permanent will be an occasion for the collapse of the far-right government led by Netanyahu. The latter, for selfish political reasons, will insist on a limited ceasefire and a limited exchange of hostages. He is not alone in his position, as “Hamas” is divided between the exhausted interior, which desires a ceasefire, and the “Hamas” exterior, which wants a good deal that includes “security prisoners” and financial support for reconstruction.
The writer accuses Hamas leaders abroad, especially Ismail Haniyeh, of not caring about the suffering of Gazans. Whether or not he knew about the October 7 attack, or whether Yahya Sinwar ordered it, is an unimportant issue. Haniyeh tried to obtain the maximum political advantage, and his goal did not change, which was to destroy the Zionist entity.
But the axis, which some call the “Axis of Evil,” which includes Iran, Russia, and China, can do more to achieve a ceasefire, but in partnership with the Europeans, they want more. Iran's mullahs enjoy Israel's trivialities and publicly denounce the misery of the Gazans, but they see it as a means to achieve their geopolitical agenda.
The question is: Why is there no ceasefire? The simplest answer is political leaders who only care about their own interests, who are afraid and helpless.
One day, we hope, the sound of guns in Gaza will stop, because the war is over, but how long it will last is another question.
The writer concludes: “The history of the Palestinians is a history of screaming, anger, and pain, and applying bandages will not work. Backroom deals and bad concessions fall apart. Without credible international support for a peace plan and a firm timetable for establishing a Palestinian state, the screaming will not stop.”
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