Irish Examiner view: Real action must follow recognition
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As Ireland, Norway, and Spain officially recognised the state of Palestine, Israel continued its indefensible assault on Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
A global outcry following Sunday’s air strikes, which killed 45 people and injured many more, did nothing to stop Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resolve to attempt to annihilate an entire people.
There is no other way to frame his actions, given his pitiful response to the reprehensible attacks that set tents ablaze in a camp full of displaced people seeking sanctuary. The strikes were “a tragic mishap”, Mr Netanyahu said, renewing a vow to continue his war until “every goal has been achieved”.
An International Court of Justice ruling calling for an immediate halt to the military offensive in Rafah did not stop him. It is reasonable to assume, then, that the hardening of international opposition to what can only be described as genocide will not have any impact on Israel either.
Given the context, it is difficult to be optimistic about Ireland, Norway, and Spain’s bold, if belated, step of officially recognising the state of Palestine. It won’t bring about a ceasefire, but it does represent a glimmer of hope at a dark time.
It needs to be followed with strong action. Taoiseach Simon Harris acknowledged that yesterday with a repeated call “for all countries to use every lever at their disposal to bring about the maximum pressure to result in a ceasefire”.
That applies to Ireland too. If, as Israeli ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich has warned, recognising a Palestinian state will scare off Israeli investors in the Irish tech sector, then so be it. We have to put our money where our moral stance is.
In the same way, it is worth doing what senator Alice-Mary Higgins suggests, and reinstating inspections of planes that use Shannon Airport. Ms Higgins, with fellow civil engagement group senators Lynn Ruane, Frances Black, and Eileen Flynn, will bring the Arms Embargo Bill before the Seanad this week, with the aim of banning the transit of weapons through Ireland to Israel.
There have been calls for sanctions, too, some of them so robust the Dáil had to be suspended briefly yesterday. Earlier, though, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he didn’t think anything could be off the table when it came to Israel.
He also said the idea that recognition of the Palestinian state was anti-Israel was absurd. The Government has repeatedly condemned Hamas’ outrage on October 7, and called for the release of hostages. But, in a deeply polarised discussion, nuance is so often lost.
The reality of antisemitism in Ireland, for instance, is more complex than President Michael D Higgins recently suggested. He said the Irish were not antisemitic, quoting as evidence the fact that the country’s first president, Douglas Hyde, spoke Hebrew.
If we are quoting history, it is perhaps more illustrative to recall politician Robert Briscoe’s experience. He fought in the War of Independence and was a founding member of Fianna Fáil, yet he got nowhere when he pleaded with the government to give his Jewish relatives sanctuary during the Second World War.
The Jewish experience in Ireland is multi-faceted and can’t be reduced to a single sound-bite. There will be lots of sound-bites today, many of them hailing the historic move by Ireland, Norway, and Spain to recognise the state of Palestine.
It is a very welcome step, but it must be followed by bigger and bolder ones.
We have become accustomed — inured even — to reports telling us that we have missed greenhouse-gas emission targets by a long way. The most recent finding by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) predicts a 29% reduction in emissions by 2030.
While that is good news, it falls far short of the 51% target. The shortfall will, rightly, focus attention on our need to do more to reduce our dependence on coal, peat, oil, and gas — and to do it faster.
There’s a danger, however, that the constant reminder of our failures — political, corporate and personal — will make us throw our hands in the air and think we are powerless.
It was heartening, then, to hear EPA director general Laura Burke speak about climate action in terms of new opportunities, rather than impending doom. As she said yesterday, taking action to cut emissions is a win-win for our health and the environment.
That message was underlined in the National Biomethane Strategy brought to Cabinet yesterday by Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and Environment Minister Eamon Ryan.
The plan, which aims to produce zero-carbon gas from grass and slurry, has the potential to supply half of our gas needs in 15 years. There’s a big incentive for farmers, too, as the plan offers an alternative income stream.
That’s a good example of how taking climate action can have a win-win outcome.
His win rate in Paris stands at an incredible 97%. As fellow champion Boris Becker said: “I don’t know any other record in any other sport that equals Rafael Nadal’s French Open success.”
That unparalleled achievement was recognised by the French tennis association when it unveiled a steel statue of the Spaniard on the grounds of Roland Garros in 2021.
Whether or not Nadal competes in the Olympics remains to be seen, but this exceptional player, whose greatness has graced so many tournaments, will always be remembered as the undisputed King of Clay.
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