More than 160 academics call for ‘immediate halt' to trade with Israel over conflict in Gaza
More than 160 academics are calling for an 'immediate halt' to Irish trade with
Israel
until there is a 'permanent ceasefire' in the country's conflict in
Gaza
.
In a letter to the Government, the signatories from the faculties of business and social sciences of 11 universities across the State, in addition to 'experts in policy and practice', say there should be a 'strategic pause' in trade.
While this will have 'short-term economic consequences in Ireland', it is 'morally repugnant to enrich ourselves as a country by turning a blind eye to well-documented suffering in Gaza', the academics say.
The letter was drawn up by Professor Emeritus Sheila Killian of the
University of Limerick
and Dr Nessa Ní Chasaide of
Maynooth University
.
READ MORE
Among the signatories are Susi Geiger and Colm McLaughlin, professors at
University College Dublin
; Assistant Professor Sindy Joyce and Professor Fergal O'Brien of
University of Limerick
; Professor Emeritus John Maguire at
University College Cork
; Dr Harry Browne of
Technological University, Dublin
and Dr Marie Finnegan,
Atlantic Technological University
.
There is just one signatory from
Trinity College Dublin
: Iain Atack, Assistant Professor in international peace studies in the university's school of religion.
Trinity's board
voted to cut ties with Israeli universities and companies
last week.
Describing the attack by
Hamas
on Israel in October 2023 as 'terrible', the letter's signatories described Israel's response as 'by now a well-televised genocide'.
'We cannot in all humanity fail to take the actions that are open to us and so we, the undersigned, call on the Irish Government, to put in place an immediate pause to trade with Israel pending a permanent ceasefire and aid delivery in accordance with international humanitarian principles.'
The letter calls on Government members 'to pursue every avenue open to them to expand this action to the EU as a whole'.
The letter will be handed in to Government on Tuesday.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza almost 20 months ago in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.
More than 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the Palestinian territory's health ministry.
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