The Irish Times view on the UK Afghan controversy: an unacceptable precedent
in the aftermath of revelations
that the names of 25,000 Afghanis who cooperated with the British there from 2001 to 2021 were leaked, endangering them and their relatives. The British state's extraordinary measures to keep the leak secret and relocate many of them to Britain highlight the sensitivity of the issue and vulnerability of those involved.
It is part of a much larger story about Afghanistan's troubles since the Taliban took power four years ago. The British decision to invade in 2001, along with US forces, was followed by a chaotic withdrawal in 2021 when the Biden administration pulled out. That left their many Afghani collaborators vulnerable to arrest and torture, alongside the many more – women especially – targeted by the new regime. Millions of Afghan refugees in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan are being expelled back home to a country of 41 million people that can ill afford to receive them.
That Afghan refugees outnumber most others on the boats from France to Britain echoes this wider suffering. It is a reminder of the continuing truth contained in the remark about migration to Britain by the Sri Lankan-British writer Ambalavaner Sivanandan: 'We are here because you were there'. Afghans have shared in the racist abuse heaped on migrants in recent times, stoked by populist right-wing movements.
Fears that such sentiments would be further inflamed by news of the relocations and their cost prompted the clampdown on media coverage and sworn secrecy of state personnel when the leak was discovered in 2023. The Labour government has relaxed this after a court hearing, reduced the cost estimate and discontinued much of the transfer programme.
Their efforts to blame the previous Conservative government
for the fiasco should not disguise the role of the British state. Its resort to unprecedented clampdowns on media reporting set an unacceptable precedent at a time of declining trust in democracy.
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Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
TP O'Mahony: Pope Leo's words on Gaza have gone unheeded in the Knesset and the White House
With Gaza haunted by the spectre of mass starvation, Pope Leo XIV's call for respect for humanitarian law has gone unheeded in the two places on Earth where it requires compliance if peace in the Middle East is ever to be achieved - the White House in Washington DC and the Knesset in Jerusalem. The phrase 'the globalisation of indifference' has for too long accurately described the inaction of the international community to Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, and its collective punishment of the Palestinian people. When I learned just over a month ago that nine out of 10 members of one family had been killed in Gaza during an Israeli raid, I thought - in my naivety - that if one incident could stir the conscience of the international community this was surely it. Never, it seemed to me, were the lessons of Pope John XXIII's great encyclical Pacem in Terris ('Peace on Earth') more apposite. But in today's troubled world it is the absence of peace - the peace of which John XXIII spoke so eloquently and movingly back in 1963 - that is one of its most worrying features. Gaza is a shocking example, but it is by no means the only example of the world's lawlessness. In 2024 there were 61 'state-based conflicts' in the world, the most since 1946, according to the Peace Research Institute in Oslo. And that was before the Israel-Iran conflict. We may well ask: why are there so many wars? That lawlessness - fostered by President Donald's Trump's disregard for international law, conventions and norms - is tragically evident on a daily basis in Gaza. Each day Palestinians continue to be killed while attempting to collect food for their families. Medicins Sans Frontieres has accurately described the system as 'slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid'. The Belfast rap trio Kneecap - who have drawn a lot of criticism, especially in the British media - have been unflinching in their support for the Palestinian people. JJ O Dochartaigh, one of the group, said in a pre-Glastonbury interview: Everyone knows what's happening is wrong. You can't even try to deny it now - Israel's government is just acting with impunity and getting away with it. Gaza's health ministry says that over 58,000 people (mostly civilians) have died in Israeli attacks since the war began. And that number grows daily. Studies at Yale and other universities suggest the official tolls are being underestimated. Meanwhile, the two-state solution - backed by Ireland and other countries - is looking more and more remote. The political situation is not helped by the fact that the Trump White House does not see an independent Palestinian state as a goal. Matters are also not helped by the fact that the EU is divided on support for a Palestinian state, or how to respond to the systematic destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza, beyond mere words. Kaja Kallas, the foreign policy chief of the EU - Israel's biggest trading partner - has said that 'all options are on the table'. But so far there is no agreement on a plan of action. Ireland has played its part, at least in terms of recognition, much to the chagrin of the Israelis. On May 22, 2024, it was officially announced by the then Taoiseach Simon Harris that 'Ireland will recognise the State of Palestine, effective 28 May'. Ireland made the announcement on the same day as Spain and Norway. 'Ireland today recognises Palestine as a nation among nations with all the rights and responsibilities that entails,' said the Taoiseach. Ireland has for many decades recognised the State of Israel and its right to exist in pace and security. We had hoped to recognise Palestine as part of a two-state peace deal but instead we recognise Palestine to keep the hope of that two-state solution alive. The formal recognition of the State of Israel was an altogether different story. The new state of Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, and it immediately sought diplomatic recognition from countries around the world. The United States, under President Truman, was the first to grant recognition. On May 28, 1948, Ireland received a telegram from the Israeli foreign secretary asking that 'Eire may grant official recognition to the state of Israel and its provisional government'. On June 4, the Irish government discussed the telegram, and it was decided that 'no action be taken on the telegram apart from the appropriate acknowledgement'. 'For Ireland the issues of Israeli statehood, protection of the Holy Places, the status of Jerusalem and diplomatic recognition remained unresolved. It could have chosen any tack concerning Israel, including the Arab position that the partition of Palestine was illegitimate . . . Instead, Ireland chose the position of the Holy See as a basis for its policy towards Israel. "Not only did the Holy Places argument win prestige for Ireland from the Holy See, but placing such a condition on recognition meant that Ireland would not be entering into diplomatic relations with Israel in the immediate future,' according to Paula Wylie, lecturer in international relations at the University of North Carolina (she studied at UCC). A charity organization distributed food to Palestinians facing severe difficulties accessing basic necessities due to Israel's ongoing blockade and military operations in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Photo: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images The Holy See's policy was that there would be no recognition of Israel until it guaranteed the internationalisation of Jerusalem and the protection of, and free access to, the Holy Places throughout Palestine. 'Ireland's policy of non-recognition towards Israel was maintained by the Department of External Affairs from 1949 to 1963 as a unilateral foreign policy. To date, historians have accepted the thesis that Ireland refused de jure recognition to protest Israel's lack of regard for the Holy Places in and around Jerusalem,' wrote Ms Wylie. On February 11, 1949, the Irish Government had granted de facto recognition to the state of Israel, an acceptance of the situation on the ground. The New York Times reported Ireland's de jure recognition of Israel in January 1964, just after Pope Paul VI's historic visit to Israel and the Holy Places. Recognising the State of Palestine On June 29, 2025 - 10 years after the Holy See formally recognised the State of Palestine - the new minister of state for foreign affairs of the Palestinian Authority, Varsen Aghabekian, said the 2015 agreement offered a 'vision of hope for the future of the Holy Land'. The historic agreement between the Holy See and Palestine was signed on June 26, 2015, making the Holy See one of the first states in Europe to recognise the statehood of Palestine. The question now is who will follow the example of the Holy See and Ireland? The 'vision of hope' to which the Palestinian foreign minister referred will remain dormant until Israel's ends its collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The Trump White House is the key to that. Only Washington can persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon his genocidal war. Meanwhile, the peace for which Pope John XXIII so fervently pleaded and prayed still seems in this troubled world a distant prospect. But without it, at least in the Middle East, the dialogue that could prepare the way for a solution in which two states, Israel and Palestine, can co-exist side-by-side with equal dignity, respect and security, cannot even begin. Read More Israeli official says Gaza ceasefire proposal from Hamas is 'workable'
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Kneecap describe decision to ban them from Hungary as ‘political distraction'
The trio, who are outspoken supporters of Palestine, were due to perform at Sziget Festival on August 11 and remain on the line-up on its website. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs wrote on social media platform X that the decision to ban Kneecap was because the group's "members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups". But in a statement posted on Instagram, Kneecap described the decision to bar them from entry as "political distraction" and pointed out that none of the group has any criminal convictions. A spokeswoman for Sziget Festival also described the move as "unnecessary and regrettable". "Cancel culture and cultural boycotts are not the solution," she added. The statement from Kneecap said: "To the tens of thousands of fans who we were buzzing to see in person at Sziget, we're sorry we won't be with you. "The authoritarian government of Viktor Orban say we 'pose a national security threat'. "Which is f****** outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, like a hero just a few weeks ago. "There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country. We stand against all hate crimes and Kneecap champions love and solidarity as well as calling out injustices whenever we see it. "It's clear that this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people." Government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote in a post on X: "Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification.' Kovacs later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years, claiming that their entry would "seriously threaten national security". In May, member Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah. He denies the offence. Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always". Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year. More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, have also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation. Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government's decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance on August 11. "Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or anti-Semitism," they said in a statement last week. Sziget's other performers this year include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Hungary bans Kneecap from entering country over ‘antisemitic hate speech'
Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment Hungarian authorities have banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at the Sziget Festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech and praising the Hamas militant group, a government spokesperson said on Thursday. "Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote in a post on X. Kovacs later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years, claiming that their entry would "seriously threaten national security". In May, member Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah. He denies the offence. Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always". Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year. More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, have also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation. Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government's decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance on August 11. "Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or anti-Semitism," they said in a statement last week. Sziget's other performers this year include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
