February 2024
Since the massacre of innocent Israelis on October 7th, Irish political leaders have engaged in the worst anti-Israel extremism seen outside of Gaza and refused to accept clear evidence of UNWRA complicity in the massacre of October 7th. The Ireland-Israel Alliance (IIA) calls for Ireland to stop taxpayer funding ending up in the hands of Hamas, and for Irish political leaders to end their campaigns of hate against Israel.
Founder and Executive Director of the IIA, Jackie Goodall, stated: “October 7th will forever be Israel’s 9/11. The loss of life was horrific, and continues to grow as IDF efforts to rescue the hostages trapped in Gaza continue. However, since the first news of the massacre of Israelis broke, Ireland’s political leaders have tarnished our reputation on the international stage. Synagogues in this country have had to implement additional security measures in response to the outpouring of antisemitism, with Jews and Israelis in Ireland forced to hide all signs and sounds of their identity for fear of attack. Quite simple, where is the voice of reason? Where is the voice of moderation in Irish politics – who will raise the plight of the hostages, who will challenge the rise in antisemitism, who will refuse to support Palestinian terror.”
“Nowhere is the bias and prejudice of our political leaders more evident than the flagrant refusal to accept the clear evidence of UNWRA’s undeniable links to Hamas. UNWRA employees participated in October 7th. UNWRA funding has been used to fuel the hateful propaganda of Hamas. 10% of UNWRA’s employees (more than 1,200 employees) in Gaza have links with Hamas. The book of evidence extends into volumes of countless number. However, in response, Ireland has bucked the trend of international democracies and allocated additional funding of €20 million to UNWRA (presumably in addition to the current €18 million allocated annually). In many ways, how can we be surprised when Minister of State for International Development, Seán Fleming TD, (involved in this decision) referred to evidence of Hamas’s tunnel network as a ‘few manholes.’ Concurrently, our President continues to overreach, and is now lobbying other countries to restore funding to UNWRA – despite nothing materially having changed within the organisation.”
“Our political establishment is obsessed with condemning Israel for rescuing her people and stopping Hamas–ISIS, whilst ignoring Palestinian terrorism and hatred. The IIA calls for the government to clarify what guarantees it can offer that additional funding for UNWRA will not end up in the hands of Yahwa Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. Furthermore, the IIA calls for an end to anti-Israel extremism aflood in the Oireachtas and for Irish political leaders to end their diplomatic intifada against the Jewish State.
