Mass Crowd Gathers in Support of Palestine
By News Editor Cormac McCarthy
Thousands of Cork residents gathered on Grand Parade on Wednesday 11 with a march organised on Saturday 14 in a show of solidarity to the Palestinian community. This comes at a time during the ever-escalating conflict between Palestine and Israel.
Palestinian flags were flown by both members of the local Palestine community and allies in their cause, with representation from political groups such as the Socialist Party and the Connolly Youth Movement.
There was a rousing sound of “From the mountain to the sea; Palestine will be free”, carried all the way down Grand Parade.
Fadila, a Palestinian living in Cork, spoke at Wednesday night’s protest, highlighting her frustration at perceived lack of support from the global community as a whole. “We [Palestinians] are not against the Jewish people, we do not hate. Years ago, we all lived together in society, but that has now broken apart.” She encouraged the crowd to learn about Palestine’s culture and rich history. She joked how “Israelis are now saying they invented falafel.”
Similar demonstrations were organised in Galway, Belfast and Limerick with thousands gathering in the Dublin city centre and further protests occurring outside the Israeli embassy in Dublin.
The demonstrations all emphasized the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in resolving the longstanding conflict. Many participants stressed their opposition for a two-state solution that ensures the security and sovereignty of both Israel and Palestine. Many speakers called on the international community to take a more active role in mediating peace talks and providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
Wednesday 18 saw 100s of protesters outside the Dáil expressing their “Solidarity with Palestinian and Israel families” and urging the EU to take actions for a ceasefire.
Thursday 19 saw Pro-Palestinian activists occupying the Eu Commission Office in Dublin. The group of protesters, who identified themselves as “Dublin for Gaza” called on the EU Commission to take a stance on Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
This comes after EU Commission President, Ursula Von Der Leyen, expressed her support for Israel, saying that the state had “full right to protect itself.” In a statement on social-media platform X (formerly Twitter), she said “We are friends of Israel. When friends are under attack, we stand by them. Israel has the right and duty to respond to Hamas’ act of war. We call for an immediate release of all hostages by Hamas.”
President of the United States, Joe Biden, announced a humanitarian assistance package worth $100 million to Gaza and the West-Bank. The US has largely been seen to have taken a pro-Israel stance with the president tweeting “I have come to Israel with a simple message: You are not alone. As long as the United States stands – and we will stand forever- we will not let you ever be alone.”
The Us has already committed roughly $260 million to Israel in economic and military aid since World War II.
This conflict began on the 7 October when Hamas launched a strike from Gaza into Israeli territory, Israel has responded with air strikes of their own into the 13 square kilometre territory containing 2 million Palestinians. Other retaliations include the cutting off of water and electricity to areas in Gaza which has lead to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar accused the Israeli government of engaging in “Collective punishment” which is a war crime.
The Israeli government have issued an evacuation order to all those in the Gaza area, with the possibility of a ground invasion of the territory over the next few days.
The Irish government, consistent with its longstanding position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, expressed support for a potential ceasefire while also emphasizing the need for dialogue and peace. Ireland has consistently contributed aid to Palestinian efforts for the past 20 years.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin announced a €13m aid package for Palestine in the wake of the war in Gaza in addition to the 16 million in aid already provided this year.
In a statement the Tánaiste outlined how “Ireland is doing, and will do, everything possible to contribute to this. I can give this House my personal assurance that I will working tirelessly to exert every possible influence, within the EU, with regional partners and at the UN, to bring this about,”
He also stated; “This funding from Ireland will help the UN and others provide essential support to extremely vulnerable people, in particular those in Gaza who are dealing with acute and severe challenges.” He added that the conflict could be a “catalyst for renewed engagement on achieving a lasting and sustainable peace”.
Leader of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou Macdonald has called the onslaught a “horrible crescendo of occupation, annexation and apartheid. These are crimes against human rights perpetrated in full view of the world.”
In 2021, The Dáil voted unanimously to condemn Israel’s “de facto annexation” of Palestinian land in the occupied territories making Ireland the first European Union member state to do so.
On Thursday the government rejected an amendment put froward from Sinn Féin that would “unreservedly condemn Israel's brutal assault on the civilian population of Gaza which has resulted in more than 3,000 deaths including over 1,000 children to date in breach of international law.”
The death total as of the 19 October is now over three thousand with 1000 of those being children. The majority of fatalities being those from Gaza.
