Author hoping to convert Kerry readers not convinced of Palestinian cause at talk in Listowel
Kerryman
Those who attend the Listowel Literary Festival talk with author Fintan Drury will be told that they have a part to play in bringing an end to the assault on Gaza.
'Without being grandiose about it, we have a responsibility to do whatever it is we can to express our horror and to seek to pressure those who have some influence to get this to stop,' Mr Drury told The Kerryman.
Mr Drury (67), a former RTÉ journalist from Dublin, is the author of Catastrophe.
The book argues that the brutal Hamas attack of October 2023 was the result of almost eight decades of Israeli oppression, and that Israel's reaction to it has been egregiously disproportionate.
'If you look even in a kind of cursory way at the conduct of Israel to Palestinians since 1948, there is no conclusion other than the Palestinians are among the most oppressed people in the world ever,' Mr Drury said.
'Ireland has done more than most but we still have issues that we need to consider around doing more.'
Mr Drury said he had been going to marches advocating for Palestine for years but realised he had to use his skillset, as a trained journalist and writer, to try and make a difference.
It was that realisation which led him to writing his book with the aim of detailing what has occurred in Palestine in an accessible manner.
Mr Drury said those he would like to see most at his talk in Listowel are those who have not been convinced to support the Palestinian people.
'I'd love them to leave after an hour and go: 'Now I understand, I've got it',' Mr Drury said.
Mr Drury will be in conversation with Mike Lynch at 11am in Listowel Arms Hotel on Sunday, June 1. Tickets for the event cost €15.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Israel deliberately starving Gaza's Palestinians, says Amnesty
Rights group Amnesty International has accused Israel of enacting a "deliberate policy" of starvation in Gaza, citing testimonies of displaced Palestinians and medical staff treating malnourished children in the territory. Israel, while heavily restricting aid allowed into Gaza, has repeatedly rejected claims of deliberate starvation in the 22-month-old war. Contacted by AFP, the military and foreign ministry did not immediately comment on Amnesty's findings. According to the group's report, "Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life". Meanwhile in Tel Aviv, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered last night to call for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, one of the largest demonstrations in Israel since the start of the fighting in October 2023. The rally was the culmination of a day of nationwide protests and a general strike to pressure the government to halt the military campaign. "Bring them all home! Stop the war!" shouted the vast crowd which had converged on the so-called 'Hostage Square' in Tel Aviv plaza - a focal point for protesters throughout the war. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the initiator of the day of protest, estimated that about 500,000 people joined the evening demonstration in Tel Aviv - a figure not confirmed by the police. "We demand a comprehensive and achievable agreement and an end to the war. We demand what is rightfully ours - our children," said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan and a leading figure of the protest movement. "The Israeli government has transformed a just war into a pointless war," she told the crowd. National media published a video message by Matan Zangauker yesterday, in which the hostage, weak and emaciated, addressed his family and told them he missed them. The video was filmed by Hamas and found in Gaza by the army, the family said. The protests come more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to capture Gaza City. Egypt said in recent days mediators were leading a renewed push to secure a 60-day truce deal that includes hostages being released, after the last round of talks in Qatar ended without a breakthrough. The Israeli plan to expand the war into Gaza City and nearby refugee camps has sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition. Yesterday, Israeli military chief of staff Lieutenant General Eya Zamir said the army was moving ahead with a plan "focusing on Gaza City". Hamas warned it would result in "a new wave of extermination and mass displacement". Army Radio said residents would be evacuated before troops encircled and seized Gaza City in the coming weeks, with tens of thousands of reservists called up. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire yesterday killed over 60 Palestinians, including at least 37 waiting to collect food aid near two sites. The conflict began when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023 during which 251 people were taken hostage. Forty-nine captives remain in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas' assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,944 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable.
Irish Independent
5 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Protests ratchet up in Israel over Gaza war – leading to gridlock, closures and arrests
Groups representing families of hostages organised the protests as frustration grows in Israel over plans for a new military offensive in some of Gaza's most populated areas, which many fear could further endanger the remaining hostages. Fifty hostages remain, and 20 of them are believed to still be alive. 'We don't win a war over the bodies of hostages,' protesters chanted in one of the largest and fiercest protests in 22 months of war. Even some former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs are now calling for a deal to end the fighting. Protesters gathered at dozens of places including outside politicians' homes, military headquarters and on major highways. They blocked lanes and lit bonfires. Some restaurants and theatres closed in solidarity. Police said they arrested 38 people. 'The only way to bring [hostages] back is through a deal, all at once, without games,' former hostage Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv. Her boyfriend Ariel Cunio is still being held by Hamas. One protester carried a photo of an emaciated Palestinian child from Gaza. Such images were once rare at Israeli demonstrations, but now appear more often as outrage grows over conditions there for civilians after more than 250 malnutrition-related deaths. An end to the conflict does not seem near. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is balancing competing pressures including the potential for mutiny within his coalition. 'Those who today call for an end to the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas's position and delaying the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated,' Mr Netanyahu said, referencing the Hamas-led attack in 2023 that killed some 1,200 people and sparked the war. The last time Israel agreed to a ceasefire that released hostages earlier this year, far-right members of his cabinet threatened to topple Mr Netanyahu's government. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich yesterday called the demonstrations 'a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas's hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardise its security and future'. The new offensive would require the call-up of thousands of reservists, another concern for many Israelis. Hospitals and witnesses in Gaza said Israeli forces killed at least 17 aid-seekers yesterday, including nine awaiting UN aid trucks close to the Morag corridor. Hamza Asfour said he was just north of the corridor awaiting a convoy when Israeli snipers fired, first to disperse the crowds, then from tanks hundreds of metres away. He saw two people with gunshot wounds. 'It's either to take this risk or wait and see my family die of starvation,' he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the Israeli-backed and US-supported distribution points that have become the main source of aid since they opened in May, said there was no gunfire 'at or near' its sites, which are located in military-controlled areas. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions. Israel's air and ground war has displaced most of Gaza's population and killed more than 61,900 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians, but says around half were women and children. Two children and five adults died of malnutrition-related causes yesterday, according to the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. The UN has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Most aid has been blocked from entering Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade in March after ending a ceasefire. Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organisations say the flow is far below what is needed. It is not clear when Israel's military will begin the new offensive in the crowded Gaza City, Muwasi and what Mr Netanyahu has called the 'central camps' of Gaza. There are no humanitarian zones at all The military body that co-ordinates its humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, this weekend noted plans to forcibly evacuate people from combat zones to southern Gaza 'for their protection'. Designated 'safe zones', however, also have been bombed during the war. War-weary Palestinians yesterday insisted that they won't leave, arguing that there is 'no safe place' in Gaza. 'There are no humanitarian zones at all,' said Raghda Abu Dhaher, who said she has been displaced 10 times during the war and now shelters in a school in western Gaza City. Mohamed Ahmed also insisted that he won't move south. 'Here is bombing and there is bombing,' he said. Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital Sanaa yesterday, escalating strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who since the war in Gaza began have fired missiles at Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi-run Al-Masirah Television said the strikes targeted a power plant in the southern district of Sanhan, sparking a fire and knocking it out of service. Israel's military said the strikes were launched in response to missiles and drones aimed at Israel. While some projectiles have breached its missile defences – notably during its 12-day war with Iran in June – Israel has intercepted the vast majority of missiles launched from Yemen. Its military said yesterday it had intercepted another.
Irish Examiner
15 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Israel's growing frustration over war in Gaza erupts in nationwide protests
Israeli police made dozens of arrests on Sunday as tens of thousands of protesters demanding a deal to free hostages in Gaza tried to shut down the country in one of the largest and fiercest protests in 22 months of war. Groups representing families of hostages organised the demonstrations, and gave an even larger estimate of attendees, as frustration grows in Israel over plans for a new military offensive in some of Gaza's most populated areas. Many Israelis fear this could further endanger the remaining hostages. Twenty of the 50 who remain are believed to be alive. 'We don't win a war over the bodies of hostages,' protesters chanted. Even some former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs now call for a deal to end the fighting. Protesters gathered at dozens of places including outside politicians' homes, military headquarters and on major roads. They blocked lanes and lit bonfires. Some restaurants and theatres closed in solidarity. Police said they arrested 38 people. 'The only way to bring (hostages) back is through a deal, all at once, without games,' former hostage Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv. Her boyfriend Ariel Cunio is still held by Hamas. Demonstrators block a road during a protest near Jerusalem (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) One protester carried a photo of an emaciated Palestinian child from Gaza. Such images were once rare at Israeli demonstrations but now appear more often as outrage grows over conditions for Palestinian civilians after more than 250 malnutrition-related deaths. An end to the war does not seem near. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is balancing competing pressures including the potential for mutiny within his coalition. 'Those who today call for an end to the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas's position and delaying the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated,' Mr Netanyahu said, referencing the Hamas-led attack in 2023 that killed some 1,200 people and sparked the war. The last time Israel agreed to a ceasefire that released hostages earlier this year, far-right members of his cabinet threatened to topple Mr Netanyahu's government. Frustration is growing in Israel over plans for a new military offensive in some of Gaza's most populated areas (Mahmoud Illean/AP) Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called the demonstrations on Sunday 'a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas's hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardise its security and future'. The new offensive would require the call-up of thousands of reservists, another concern for many Israelis. Hospitals and witnesses in Gaza said Israeli forces killed at least 17 aid-seekers on Sunday, including nine awaiting UN aid trucks close to the Morag corridor. Hamza Asfour said he was just north of the corridor awaiting a convoy when Israeli snipers fired, first to disperse the crowds, then from tanks hundreds of metres away. He saw two people with gunshot wounds. 'It's either to take this risk or wait and see my family die of starvation,' he said. Protesters gathered at dozens of locations, including in Tel Aviv (Maya Levin/AP) The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the Israeli-backed and US-supported distribution points that have become the main source of aid since they opened in May, said there was no gunfire 'at or near' its sites, which are located in military-controlled areas. Israel's military did not immediately respond to questions. Israel's air and ground war has displaced most of Gaza's population and killed more than 61,900 people, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. Two children and five adults died of malnutrition-related causes on Sunday, according to the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. The United Nations has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Most aid has been blocked from entering Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade in March after ending a ceasefire. Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organisations say the flow is far below what is needed. It is not clear when Israel's military will begin the new offensive in the crowded Gaza City, Muwasi and what Mr Netanyahu has called the 'central camps' of Gaza. Humanitarian aid was airdropped to Palestinians over Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) The military body that co-ordinates its humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, this weekend noted plans to forcibly evacuate people from combat zones to southern Gaza 'for their protection'. But designated 'safe zones' have also been bombed during the war. War-weary Palestinians said on Sunday that they would not leave, arguing that there was 'no safe place' in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen's capital on Sunday, escalating strikes on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who since the war in Gaza began have fired missiles at Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi-run Al-Masirah Television said the strikes targeted a power plant in the southern district of Sanhan, sparking a fire and knocking it out of service. Israel's military said the strikes were launched in response to missiles and drones aimed at Israel.
