Motion calling for cessation of Israeli bonds passed by Wicklow County Council
A year has passed since Ireland officially recognised the state of Palestine, and nearly two years since the beginning of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
The motion brought forward by Social Democrats Cllr Caroline Winstanley was seconded by independent Cllr Tom Fortune, urges the Irish Government to 'take a stand and ensure that our country plays no role in facilitating further violence or injustice in the region'.
There was universal support of the motion from elected members during the monthly meeting on Monday afternoon.
Independent Cllr Gerry O'Neill said the time was right for the council to lend its voice to the cause, citing the chamber's refusal to support his previous motion in November 2023 which called for the removal of the Israeli ambassador to Ireland Danna Erlich.
Labour Cllr Paul O'Brien praised the work that went in to drafting the motion.
'The country has already stepped up to the mark and we will continue to respond with an open heart and mind,' he added.
Cllr John Snell said the world is watching and there is little that we can do but we can use our voices.
'This is a genocide with people in power refusing to support the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador. It's important we support the people suffering on the ground but collectively we need to do more.'
Social Democrats Cllr Danny Alvey commended his party colleague Cllr Winstanley for bringing forward the motion.
'We must keep speaking out and show the world the violence is not acceptable.'
Activists in support of the move were present in the chamber when the vote was passed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
23 minutes ago
- The Journal
Israel calls up reservists and approves plan to conquer Gaza City
LAST UPDATE | 5 mins ago ISRAEL'S DEFENCE MINISTER approved a plan for the conquest of Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists today, piling pressure on Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire. Defence Minister Israel Katz's move, confirmed to news agency AFP by a spokesperson, came as mediators awaited an official Israeli response on their latest proposal. While mediator Qatar had expressed guarded optimism over the latest proposal, a senior Israeli official said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any agreement. The framework that Hamas had approved proposes an initial 60-day truce, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza. On the ground in Gaza City today, Mustafa Qazzaat, head of the emergency committee in the Gaza municipality, described the situation as 'catastrophic'. He told AFP that 'large numbers' of people were fleeing their neighbourhoods, with the majority of those displaced 'on the roads and streets without shelter.' Aida Abu Madi, a 48-year-old resident of Zeitoun, said she fled today with her husband, children and three grandchildren to the home of relatives in western Gaza City. 'I didn't hear about Israel's decision, but I saw my neighbours fleeing, so I fled too,' she told AFP by telephone. Anis Daloul, 64, said he fled Zeitoun with his family on Sunday for a neighbourhood northwest of Gaza City. He told AFP by telephone that the Israeli military had 'destroyed most of the buildings in Zeitoun and displaced thousands of people'. Israel's security cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the plan to conquer Gaza City in early August, sparking fears it will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu has not yet called a security cabinet meeting to discuss any response to the latest truce proposal. Pressure to end the war Netanyahu has come under growing pressure at home and abroad to end the war, with the German government saying today it 'rejects the escalation' of Israel's campaign. Advertisement Katz's approval of plans to conquer Gaza City came days after Hamas said it had accepted the latest proposal from mediators for a ceasefire to halt almost two years of devastating war. Sources from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad told AFP today that the proposal envisages the release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza. The remaining captives would be released in a second exchange within the 60-day period, during which negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place, the sources said. Israel and Hamas have held on-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Qatar, one of the mediators in the talks, said the latest proposal was 'almost identical' to an earlier version agreed by Israel, while Egypt said Monday that 'the ball is now in its (Israel's) court'. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the truce plan, but said last week that his country would accept 'an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war'. Gaza city An Israeli military official told journalists today that the new phase of combat would involve 'a gradual precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City,' including some areas where forces had not previously operated. The official said the military had already begun operating in the neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Jabalia as part of the initial stages. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes and fire killed at least 25 people across the territory today. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military asked for coordinates and specific timeframes to comment on the reports, but said it would look into reports of eight people killed by Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of Gaza. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. In the West Bank today, Israel approved a major settlement project in an area that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. Israel has long had ambitions to build on the roughly 12 square km known as E1 that lie just east of Jerusalem, but the plan had been stalled for years. © AFP 2025
Agriland
an hour ago
- Agriland
Govt must 'lead a strong push' in Brussels for focus on food production
The government "will have to lead a strong push in Brussels" to focus the debate around food production, a farm organisation has said. Securing a "workable" Nitrates Derogation along with a strong Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must be major priorities for the government, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is urging. IFA deputy president Alice Doyle, speaking at the Virginia Show in Cavan today (Wednesday, August 20), said that farmers have "worked tirelessly to improve water quality and have adopted sustainability measures which will serve further improvements". However, they "need to be provided with certainty, and most importantly clarity on retaining the nitrates derogation", Doyle said. 'The recent issue regarding the Habitats Directive has served to further frustrate and confuse farmers on the current position of our nitrates derogation. 'IFA made it clear to the minister last month that we need far more clarity on this aspect of the government's plan, which farmers see as moving the goalposts." Doyle said CAP "remains absolutely vital" to the future of Irish farming, and the proposed CAP reforms announced by the EU Commission last month "cannot be allowed to become reality". Recent IFA analysis shows that in the counties of Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Monaghan and Westmeath, CAP payments of €321m were received in 2024, "playing a pivotal role in the rural economy of the Ulster/North Leinster region". 'The government will have to lead a strong push in Brussels to focus the debate around food production and the two-pillar approach," Doyle added. 'Here at the Virginia Show, we see the importance of farming to the region with the best of what Irish agriculture has to offer being put on display. "It is vital we are able to maintain this, and the formation of the next CAP is pivotal to being able to do so." The deputy president said that the importance of food security is "not being grasped seriously by wider society". "Farmers can see the risks, the next generation are not returning to farming, and that will continue to have a negative effect on food production and people are beginning to see the effects of falling output with rising prices," she concluded.
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Debunked: Asylum seekers are not exempt from income tax for a year after they are allowed to work
WHILE SOME ASYLUM seekers are entitled to work in Ireland while waiting for a decision on their application, it is not true that they enjoy a 'tax-free year' while doing so. The claim, which was shared in a recruitment video for an anti-immigration group, appears to be a misunderstanding of a plan to charge working asylum seekers that are in accommodation provided through the International Protection Accommodation Scheme (IPAS). The claim was shared in a video featuring a man wearing a 'MÉGA'cap, which stands for Make Éire Great Again — a slogan used by some Irish fans of Donald Trump. Shouting at a crowd, he talks about migrants who want to 'impose their sharia law' and says Irish people now slaves. 'Jim O'Callaghan, not three months ago, came out on RTÉ — I only watch it to see what I'm catching him out on — but he came out and said some IPAS residents are currently employed. They may be asked to contribute to society in a year's time. Where's my tax-free year? I have to pay through the nose for everything.' The post containing the speech is a recruitment video for anti-immigration group Síol na hÉireann. It is unclear if the man in the video has a connection with Síol na hÉireann, which has previously been investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority for using footage of assaults in its recruitment material. The Journal has previously debunked posts by this group, including multiple false claims about black people attacking white people in Ireland. As of writing, one version of the video have been viewed more than 232,300 times on Facebook, and more than 22,000 times on X. Both were posted on 10 August. The claim made in the video is said to stem from an appearance by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan on RTÉ. The Journal was unable to find an appearance matching the description, and a spokesperson from O'Callaghan's office said that they were unfamiliar with what the man in the video was speaking about. It seems likely that the video confuses O'Callaghan with Colm Brophy, who is a Minister of State at the Department of Justice. Advertisement Brophy has spoken publicly about plans to charge working asylum seekers for their accommodation. (O'Callaghan's office confirmed he supports the plan). However, these plans have little resemblance to what was being talked about in the video other than some shared terminology, such as uses of the term 'contribution'. The government's plans are not about changing how IPAS applicants are taxed. Rather, these plans involve charging asylum seekers who are entitled to work for accommodation in IPAS centres as a way to reduce the cost of the international protection system to the government. Currently, asylum seekers in Ireland can be granted permission to work if they have been waiting more than 6 months for the first decision on their application. The Sunday Independent reported that one proposal says that 11,400 people in IPAS centres are estimated to have an income and would be eligible to pay the fee. So, what has this got to do with a 'tax-free year'? Not much, it appears. 'Applicants for international protection are subject to the same system of taxation as all other people resident in Ireland,' a spokesperson for the Department of Justice told The Journal. 'There is no exemption from income tax for applicants under the International Protection Accommodation Scheme who have an entitlement to work in Ireland,' Revenue said in response to the online claims. Claims that asylum seekers or other foreign nationals have preferential treatment in Ireland are commonly spread by anti-immigration groups. Thai year, The Journal has previously debunked claims that immigrants get shorter prison sentences than Irish citizens; that traffic rules do not apply to non-Irish people; that the Irish government pays Ukrainians to repair their cars or has spent €200,000 per car to help isolated Ukrainians; and that taxes go toward subsidising foreign-owned businesses . 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
