US Ambassador to Israel official calls on Ireland to 'sober up' over OTB
The bill would prohibit trade between Ireland and Israel's illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
It was scrutinised yesterday by the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and was introduced by Independent Senator Frances Black.
Mike Huckabee described the bill as "so stupid" and questioned if it could be attributed to an act of "diplomatic intoxication".
"Did the Irish fall into a vat of Guinness," he said in a post on social media platform X.
Mr Huckabee said the bill, known as the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Bill, "will harm Arabs as much as Israelis".
He urged Ireland to "call the Israel Foreign Ministry and say you're sorry!"
His comments come after the bill was scruntinised at the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs yesterday during which former minister for justice Alan Shatter likened it to legislation passed in Germany in the 1930s.
, and replicated the type of legislation initiated by the Nazis.
However, Committee chair John Lahart of Fianna Fáil said that a claim made during the proceedings that the bill is anti-Semitic was "hugely hurtful and slanderous".
Labour TD Duncan Smith said there was a failure to recognise that the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are illegal.
"That's a fundamental point of divergence," he said, adding Israel was "not the only example of Ireland deploying such a bill".
In 2014, he said, an "identical bill was passed in Irish law prohibiting trade in goods and services with Russian-occupied Ukraine".
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
More than 30 years on, genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda reminds us we said 'never again' many times before
I recently travelled with Trócaire to Rwanda to meet communities working to adapt and mitigate against the increasing effects of climate change. While speaking to Béatha Usabyimana about the leading role she played in a terracing project, we surveyed the land and the remarkable progress the project has made. In the distance, I noticed a single patch of uncultivated land where a lone tree stood. Rwanda is a small country and quite densely populated — almost every metre of land is cultivated, so I thought this untouched patch of land looked unusual. Béatha said: 'That was my auntie's home once. I was 14 years old when all of my family was killed here. In Rwanda, sometimes you will see small patches of land with a single tree growing. It is to remember those we lost during the genocide." Many will have heard of the Rwandan genocide. Colleagues in Trócaire's Irish office still recall stories of working in Rwanda at the time and the sheer horror they witnessed. By 1994, Rwanda's population exceeded seven million, primarily divided into Hutu (85%), Tutsi (14%), and Twa (1%). Historically, the Tutsis held a higher social status, but social mobility allowed for movement between the groups. Over the course of 100 days in 1994, between 800,000 and one million people were massacred in Rwanda in the genocide against the Tutsi. Picture: AP /Ricardo Mazalan Colonial rule by Belgium and Germany intensified ethnic divisions through rigid classifications, causing tensions. On April 6, 1994, the assassination of the Rwandan and Burundian presidents when the plane they were travelling in was shot down, triggering a horrific genocide. Over the course of 100 days in 1994, between 800,000 and one million people were massacred in Rwanda in the genocide against the Tutsi. Two-thirds of the Tutsi population were murdered before the perpetrators were overpowered and forced into exile. This period is recognised by the UN as the Genocide against the Tutsi. Béatha explained that during that time, she and her three siblings were taken in by a neighbour and hidden in her home. Béatha's mother, and the remaining members of her family were all killed. A mother of two, Béatha is a passionate agronomist with a degree in rural development. In her village in the Karongi district of south-western Rwanda, Béatha has brought her experience to bear on the land as part of the 'Climate Justice Communities' programme. The programme is a combination of support from the Scottish Government, implemented by Trócaire and local partner organisation, Duterimbere, aimed at working alongside communities in Rwanda to respond and adapt to the increasing and devastating effects of climate change. Béatha is very satisfied with the progress the group has made, in particular the leading role women have taken to reshape the land, but she is also mindful to emphasise the impact of the genocide. She does not want that period of her life to be glossed over. Looking out over the verdant land where this happened, it was hard to believe such a ferocious act took place there such a short time ago. It was a reminder of the banality of these acts. How they can take place anywhere, and how most often they only stop when they are stopped. The now notoriously limited mandate of international forces in Rwanda led to declarations of "never again" in the wake of the genocide, and contributed to the generation of 'Responsibility to Protect' (R2P), as a global norm at the turn of the millennium. Tim Sheehan, Trócaire: 'Perhaps one of the most chilling parallels with what happened in Rwanda is the clarity of intent. A key component of any genocide is the 'othering' of the target group and fostering public sympathy towards their eradication.' Picture: Fred Hirwa R2P, as it became known, seeks to ensure all states uphold their rights to prevent genocide and that the international community never fails to act in the face of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity. As Béatha took the time to make sure we understood the significance of the tree, to ensure what happened was not forgotten, I couldn't help but think of Gaza and the genocide taking place at that moment, thousands of miles away. In Gaza, every red line of international law has been crossed. The world in which this genocide is taking place is very different to 1994, but the lessons from Rwanda are more relevant than ever. Perhaps one of the most chilling parallels with what happened in Rwanda is the clarity of intent. A key component of any genocide is the 'othering' of the target group and fostering public sympathy towards their eradication. During the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the notorious 'Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines', or 'RTLM', broadcast hate-filled propaganda against Tutsis and encouraged the Hutu population to take part in the genocide. At the time, it was a terrifying example of how basic technology could be utilised to mobilise the masses to foster acceptance of violence and mobilise people to perpetrate it. While the tenor of radio broadcasts in Rwanda in 1994 went largely hidden from the outside world, the rise of the internet since then has brought about a complete paradigm shift. Since October 7, 2023, the scale and severity of anti-Palestinian rhetoric on social media and across many media outlets in Israel have been clear for us to see. Over the last 21 months, numerous politicians have called for the complete annihilation of Gaza and have intentionally blurred the line between Hamas militants and the civilian population in order to justify a military campaign against them. Propaganda is just one way in which genocide is perpetuated, but the parallels with what happened in Rwanda are particularly clear in this respect. If we are to respect the principles of 'never again' and the memory of those who died in other genocides, we have to ensure we use these parallels as an initiation for action. While the world marks the anniversaries of Srebrenica and Rwanda this month, we continue to watch the genocide in Gaza unfolding in real time. If the Rwandan 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda has taught us anything, it is that the best moment to act is right now. Anything less will haunt us forever. Tim Sheehan is communications and content officer with Trócaire Read More Thirty years on, Srebrenica still lives under the shadow of genocide
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: CAP remains key to the entire rural economy
While we have long ceased to be an agrarian economy, food and agriculture remain vital cogs in the Irish economic machine. So when farmers voice concerns about changes to funding from Europe, we should listen. Farming might not be sexy to an urban population, but that population would find itself greatly impoverished without the things farmers produce. And the industry has such a seasonally and weather-dependent income, with wild fluctuations for the same produce or livestock over the course of time, that any disruption to more guaranteed lines of money become grave situations very quickly. This week, we heard from the Irish Farmers' Association that there is 'a big battle ahead' over EU farm supports, as well as fears that reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — a European set piece — from 2027 will only undermine food production in this country. It is true that there is only ever so much money to go around, and that other countries have different priorities. It is also true that with European countries pivoting more toward defence spending, the money available for workhorses such as farming could be reduced to allow for investment elsewhere. The EU itself has previously announced an €800bn fund for defence, as well as earmarking sums for investment in AI so the bloc doesn't fall behind the likes of the US and, increasingly, China. Yet, we should be conscious of IFA president Francie Gorman's assessment that 'the CAP provides an annual injection of nearly €2bn into our rural economy to support food production … the CAP has been the cornerstone of the multi-billion export sector that underpins thousands of jobs in regions far from the urban centres'. We are known globally for our food and drink exports. They support many thousands of jobs nationwide, and Irish food can be found worldwide. But, as it is, regular readers of our farming supplement will know that many farms are already dependent on off-farm income, or are struggling to find successors. It would be devastating not just for rural Ireland, but for the economy as a whole, if the farming sector faced any significant decline. Housing targets Every day there seems to be a tighter squeeze on the housing market, from the median house price rising by a mind-numbing €35,000 in a year to parents needing to give substantial help to children buying their first homes to, now, finding that there were just 32 rental houses eligible for the housing assistance payment — and none at all in Cork City. Cork, you'll remember, has been targeted for enormous growth under the Government's development plans. But every day the goals and targets seem to not be getting closer, but to be running off into the distance. We are nowhere near completing the number of houses annually that experts believe the country needs and, quite apart from the cost of raw materials, the Irish Examiner has reported in recent weeks on how Ireland will need tens of thousands of extra workers just to meet building demand. Apartments may not be to everybody's liking, but they remain an efficient way of creating housing density in a relatively small area — the problem being that the higher the building, the more excruciating the cost. What more can be done at government level to address this? The housing crisis will, regrettably, only get worse before it gets better — and we have too many homeless families in this country as it is. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Body positive For a species that is naturally so varied in adaptability, taste, and any other category you can think of, we are on the whole utterly useless at properly supporting that diversity. We could pick any example, but in this instance let's focus on body image. Most of us do, after all, try to encourage our children (and grandchildren) to be their own person, to be comfortable in their own skin, to be who they are. So it is, as always, disheartening when you see online pile-ons criticising how anybody looks. The most pertinent this week being the actress Jennifer Love-Hewitt appearing at a film premiere not as she was in her 20s but — shock! horror! — like the woman in her mid-40s that she is. Body shaming is by no means an exclusively male endeavour, or even an exclusively adult one, but letting it go unchallenged seems like a disservice to, well, everyone. And we should note that this is the case when it comes to Love-Hewitt, with many people pushing back against the negative comments and praising her for her more natural look. While there is something to be commended in rejecting Hollywood stereotypes of what a woman — or indeed man — should look like, ultimately the positive portrayal and inclusion of different body shapes is far more important. The simple act of confidently existing should be enough, but even a cursory glance online will show that the act of existence can be seen by too many people as almost a personal affront. The battle to meet expectations for looks on screen has also seen some male stars going to absurd lengths. Chris Hemsworth has a special routine to drain fluid from his arms to make them look more muscular on camera, while Hugh Jackman typically doesn't drink for two days before shirtless scenes as Wolverine. None of this is healthy or relatable, yet some actors and actresses feel they have no choice because of whatever role they play or persona they have created. The objectification of the body, while it has sadly always been with us, seems to feel more weaponised in an era where influencers and grifters dribble detritus onto the phones of teens and adults alike 24/7. Certainly, there is an air of entitlement to judge, even if doing so shows the judges to be deficient in a great many qualities from empathy to discernment. The lesson, surely, is that for all our positive reinforcements, we as a species have a long way to go before we can truly be said to embrace our differences. Read More Irish Examiner view: International aid has a long way to go yet
The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
FactFind: What do we know about Catherine Connolly's visit to Syria in 2018?
A VISIT TO Syria by Catherine Connolly has been referenced frequently since she became the first candidate to publicly declare this week that she would run in the upcoming presidential election. The trip, which involved visits to areas controlled by the since-toppled Assad regime as a civil war still raged across Syria, has been cited as a potential source of controversy. Irish-Syrian are reported to have urged the Labour Party not to back Connolly's attempt to get on the ballot, the Irish Times reported today . While facts about the trip had been scant, Connolly answered questions from reporters about the trip at her campaign launch on Wednesday. What exactly did she say, does it tally with what we had already known, and why does it have the potential to become controversial? The facts Connolly went to Syria in June 2018, along with TDs Clare Daly, Mick Wallace, and Maureen O'Sullivan. Images of the politicians were posted on the social media channels of Syrian organisations and news outlets on 27 June that year. These images indicated that they visited the city of Aleppo, as well as the ruins of Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus that was destroyed during the civil war. Both those areas were controlled by the Assad regime during the time of the delegation's visit. Bashar al-Assad subsequently fled to Russia in late 2024, collapsing the Syrian government and ending his family's 50-year rule over the country. The new Syrian government, run by a coalition of rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has promised a new constitution and elections , though their first months of rule have been marred by violence . Speaking in the Dáil in July 2018, Mick Wallace said that 'a group of Independents 4 Change travelled to Syria last week'. (Connolly and O'Sullivan were in a technical group with Independents 4 Change, though were not members of the political party). Daly then confirmed 'we spent the past week with some of our colleagues in Syria'. Both TDs mentioned the visit to Aleppo, though neither mentioned Connolly by name. Nor was Connolly mentioned by name in Syrian social media posts, though she can be seen in photos taken at Aleppo. Catherine Connolly, Clare Daly, and Mick Wallace in Aleppo in 2018. In an interview with the Dublin Gazette published on 12 July, Daly is described as visiting Syria with 'other Independent TDs – Mick Wallace, Maureen O'Sullivan and Catherine Connolly – along with around 15 other people, including some who had been involved in the Irish Palestine Solidarity campaign'. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Connolly confirmed that she was one of four TDs who went on the trip, along with 'a number of community activists'. Who was involved Although the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign is frequently mentioned in news reports referencing the trip, it did not officially have any involvement. In a statement to The Journal , the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: 'The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) did not organise, endorse, or participate in, any trip to Syria and has no specific knowledge regarding the trip in question. 'The IPSC does not arrange fact-finding delegations to any states, nor does it engage in trips sponsored by states or quasi-state actors. We were not contacted or invited on this, or any other trip to Syria, and we have never had any contact with the former or current Syrian governments, nor with anyone acting on behalf of either.' In an email to The Journal , a spokesperson for the campaign also clarified that they were unsure if any IPSC members took part in a private capacity. They noted that people sometimes say they are part of 'the 'Irish Palestine solidarity campaign' or whatever, when what they actually mean is they're part of the wider Palestine solidarity movement in Ireland'. A spokesperson for Connolly said that the trip had been coordinated by a number of pro-Palestinian activists. Advertisement During her speech in the Dáil in July 2018, Daly indicated that the TDs all paid for themselves (none had declared the trip as a gift in their declaration of interests for that year). 'For the record, we paid for ourselves, went where we liked and talked to whom we liked,' Daly said. On Wednesday, Connolly also stated that she had funded her own trip. Motivations Given her lack of public comments on the trip, it had until this week been unclear exactly what Connolly's motivations for going were. However, she did make comments on a previous trip to Syria taken by Daly and Wallace's in 2017. Speaking against sanctions on Syria in the Dáil in December 2017 , Connolly mentioned that previous trip taken to Syria by Daly and Wallace. 'I thank Deputies Wallace and Daly and the small number of others who accompanied them to Syria and saw for themselves the circumstances on the ground. Perhaps the Minister will listen to them. There is no propaganda here,' Connolly said. 'It is following a visit to Syria and a tremendous amount of research that we stand here tonight to say we do not support the sanctions.' The EU lifted all economic sanctions against Syria in May 2025 after the fall of the Assad government. However, Connolly on Wednesday clarified that she went on the 2018 trip 'for the purpose of fact-finding' and initially attempted to visit a refugee camp outside Beirut in Lebanon, though had been unsuccessful. Connolly said that during the trip she met 'no member of [the Syrian] government', and confirmed she had been at the refugee camp in Damascus, as well as Aleppo. 'We met the chamber of commerce,' she said. 'We had a meeting with Unicef. We went into a convent and met a nun.' She summarised, 'On no occasion had I anything to do with the government, nor did I utter one word of support for Assad.' A spokesperson said Connolly has had no contact with the Assad regime since. Christina Finn / X (Formerly Twitter) Controversy There is some controversy over the trip, as certain groups have argued that visiting areas in Syria under the Assad regime could be stage-managed propaganda. Daly denied that this was the case in her Dáil speech. What we know Photos published on Syrian social media accounts show Daly and Wallace being shown around the Yarmouk refugee camp by men dressed in military fatigues. A spokesperson for Connolly said that these were members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GP), which fought on the side of Assad during the civil war. The PFLP is now, and was in 2018 , designated a terrorist organisation by the EU. The Irish tour group was also shown around Aleppo by the pro-Assad commentator Fares Al-Shehabi, who was described as the head of the city's chamber of commerce. Al-Shehabi, who appears in photos with Connolly, had been put under sanctions by the EU for supporting the Assad regime. The year before the Irish delegation's visit, he posted on social media that a seven-year-old who said Assad was committing a Holocaust should die. He would later go on to say that anti-Assad journalists should be raped . Speaking in the Dáil the week after the trip, Daly called for the government to issue a visa to Al-Shehabi 'so that he might come to Ireland as a businessman and Sunni Muslim who believes in secular values and talk about what has happened in Syria'. A spokesperson for Connolly said that the tour and its itinerary were arranged by a travel agency that had been active in Syria for decades. Meeting with Al-Shehabi was 'not an endorsement', a spokesperson said, and Connolly 'wasn't entirely aware of who he was' at the time. The spokesperson also said that, before, Connolly only had a idea of what a refugee camp was, but the trip 'opened her eyes to the reality of displacement.' Want to be your own fact-checker? Visit our brand-new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for guides and toolkits The Journal's FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network's Code of Principles. You can read it here . For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader's Guide here . You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... It is vital that we surface facts from noise. Articles like this one brings you clarity, transparency and balance so you can make well-informed decisions. We set up FactCheck in 2016 to proactively expose false or misleading information, but to continue to deliver on this mission we need your support. Over 5,000 readers like you support us. If you can, please consider setting up a monthly payment or making a once-off donation to keep news free to everyone. Learn More Support The Journal
