Irish people’s solidarity with palestine forces the closure of israeli embassy

Irish people’s solidarity with palestine forces the closure of israeli embassy

Ever since violence in Gaza escalated from October 2023, there have been demonstrations as well as massive rallies against Israel in Dublin at least once a month; Ireland has recognised the state of Palestine and joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

On December 15, 2024, Israel pulled down the shutters on its embassy in Dublin and Israel’s Foreign Minister accused Ireland of “anti-Semitic rhetoric” and of crossing “every red line” in their relations. Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris of the Fine Gael party was quick to reject that accusation, while asserting Ireland’s stance of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Earlier in May 2024, Ireland joined Spain and Norway in recognising the state of Palestine. And two weeks ago, Ireland joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Ireland has thus become the only country in Europe that has irked the Israeli government to this extent.

But the Irish seem to be rejoicing: social media has been aflutter with images of t-shirts with a watermelon (symbolic of the black-white-green-red Palestinian flag) and the word “Paddyistinian”.

“I got my 12-year-old daughter a hair clip in the shape of a sliced watermelon. She wears it to school, and her classmates know what it means,” said Máire Ní Mhórdha, an anthropologist at Maynooth University. The single mother of three regularly takes her children to Palestine solidarity events in their town of Navan, northwest of Dublin. “It is something that I don’t think of; it is the bare minimum I could do.”

Ever since Israeli forces escalated the violence in Gaza from October 2023, there have been local demonstrations as well as massive rallies in the island country’s capital at least once a month, bringing together at least 2,000 in each, with people from other parts of the country travelling to participate in them. Many bring along their children and pets, many march along in their wheelchairs. The nearly 4-km rallies culminate at a set-up stage, with speeches and music sung by Irish, Palestinian, and other musicians. Richard Boyd-Barrett is often seen among the sea of people wearing a keffiyeh (the square checkered scarf long associated with Palestinian solidarity), in his trademark black jumper and jeans.

Popular victory

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Boyd-Barrett, who was elected Teachta Dála (Member of Parliament) from the People Before Profit (PBP) party in 2024 general election, said it is still a victory for the popular mobilisations in Ireland that Palestine became a core election agenda. “Religious sectarianism was used as a tool to enforce Ireland’s colonial subjugation. Ireland witnessed a genocide in the form of what is called the famine. But it was actually enforced starvation by the British empire, which was closely connected to an apartheid-style system that systematically discriminated against Catholics in favour of Protestants. We have seen the same being inflicted on Palestinians, first by the British empire and then by the Zionist state. But there are also incredible parallels with resistance movements in both places,” he said.

Dr. Ní Mhórdha echoed his words in stating that those in the solidarity movement — particularly within the nationwide Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) — have been disappointed with the centre-right Irish government. “It was the policy of the Irish government to always maintain lines of communication with Israel. In fact, Erlich was given adequate airtime in the Irish press,” she said.

But Mr. Boyd-Barrett notes the Irish government’s “double standard”, given the prompt sanctions against Russia when it invaded Ukraine. “If Europe and the U.S. can rightly say that the Ukrainian people have the right to armed resistance against an illegal invasion, how can they simultaneously accuse Palestinians of being terrorists for engaging in resistance? I am sad that the Irish government is guilty of the same hypocrisy of many of the other European countries,” he said, adding that the only difference is the Irish public opinion.

Dr. Ní Mhórdha has witnessed the impact of Ireland’s boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement in her own town. “We have an active well-organised group that was continuously protesting outside the [insurance giant] AXA office in Navan. When AXA finally divested, it felt like a massive victory to the global BDS movement.,” she said, adding that people who were hitherto not political had begun to express their solidarity with Palestine.

The key issue during the election debate in November 2024 was the government dragging its feet to pass the Occupied Territories Bill in the Dáil (the Irish parliament) that would ban and criminalise trade with and economic support for illegal settlements in territories deemed occupied under international law, most notably Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. “These are competing pressures: a public that wants Ireland to maintain and protect its anti-colonial traditions and its identification with oppressed people around the world, versus a political establishment that cozies up to American and European economic and political elites,” Mr. Boyd-Barrett explained.

For now, there have been rumours that the building of the erstwhile Israeli embassy will be converted into a museum of Palestine, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Remembering the year he spent in Palestine just before the first intifada in 1987, Mr. Boyd-Barrett said a museum would rightly highlight the Irish and Palestinian similarities in colonial histories, and be an anti-racism educational tool, towards combatting the recent rise of the far-right in Ireland.

Mr. Boyd-Barrett, meanwhile, sees hope in the face of the unprecedented global solidarity with the Palestinians. “There is a particular responsibility on formerly colonised countries like Ireland and India, to always side with the oppressed,” he said.