Countries such as Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, the US, Australia, and Canada paused funding for UNRWA following allegations by Israel that some of its staff in Gaza were involved in the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Those allegations are still not proven, though Mr Lazzarini himself admitted last week that some UNRWA staff members have been sacked without the agency fully investigating the allegations against them. He did add that Israel had not raised any objections about those staff members when their names were submitted last year for vetting.

The Tánaiste pointed out that the Israeli allegations against UNRWA emerged as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an interim ruling in relation to the genocide case being taken against Israel, adding: “I think, almost from the beginning of the war, Israel has been undermining UN agencies more generally and the United Nations itself — and, specifically, UNRWA.”

The decision to provide more funding for UNRWA is proof that Ireland is acting in the interests of the most vulnerable people, and not in accordance with the malign aims of one of the combatants. As the Tánaiste said yesterday, UNRWA has “a vital, lifesaving mandate that must be fulfilled”.

“One country cannot and must not be allowed to undermine that.”

That blunt assertion of the facts contrasts sharply with the alacrity shown by other countries in accepting the Israeli narrative.

Protection is key for libraries

The Local Government Management Agency has made a number of suggestions for libraries across Ireland — suggestions which include safe rooms for staff, effective ways for employees to escape, panic buttons, and lone worker devices.

Those suggestions would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago, but have clearly been motivated by last year’s demonstrations at libraries around the country, when far-right agitators sought to intimidate library staff and in at least one case ensured a library branch in Cork was closed on safety grounds.

That such recommendations need to be aired is an indictment of modern Ireland. In general terms, targeting a library is an assault on democracy — an unveiled threat to a shared social space. Libraries have specifically been safe spaces for many who enjoy few other safe spaces.

It is difficult to see on what grounds to engage those protesting outside libraries. By definition, such protestors are not interested in engaging on rational terms or in reasoned debate. If they were, they would not be seeking to close libraries.

That means moves to protect library staff are welcome, but leaving it to the library authorities to do so seems inadequate.

We have seen gardaí deployed to protect the Oireachtas from similar campaigns of intimidation, for instance. If Garda resources can be allocated to this area, surely they can also be allocated to protect those working in Irish libraries.