This week represents 'pivotal moment' for Gaza and Ukraine, Tánaiste to tell counterparts
The Foreign Affairs Minister is to virtually attend the Foreign Affairs Council later on today. The council has been scheduled to discuss the escalating concern regarding both Gaza and Ukraine.
Harris is expected to say that Israel's decision to intensify the invasion of the Gaza Strip is 'alarming' and will cause untold devastation for innocent civilians.
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Yesterday, Harris joined a number of Foreign Affairs ministers and signed a letter with Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain,
strongly condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan
to expand the occupation of Gaza city.
Israel's security cabinet
approved the plan last week.
The emergency council meeting is also expected to discuss the situation in Ukraine ahead of US President Donald Trump's planned meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to a number of European leaders over the weekend, gathering support for the inclusion of Ukraine in planned talks.
Harris is expected to back this cause later today and say that Ukraine must be involved in talks and that a ceasefire must be sought. He is to express Ireland's support for the people of Ukraine as the war continues.
Separately, he is also expected to meet with representatives of the Indian community following an increased number of reported attacks on Indian people in Ireland.
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Irish Daily Mirror
16 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Indian citizens in Ireland warned to take precautions and avoid deserted areas
Representatives of the Indian community in Ireland are to ask for a cross-departmental taskforce to address the 'recent spate of violent attacks'. The Ireland India Council is to meet with Tanaiste Simon Harris on Monday afternoon and ask that such incidents are treated and recorded as hate crimes. The issue has been highlighted after an Indian man was the victim of an unprovoked attack in Tallaght, Dublin, last month. A silent vigil was held outside the Department of Justice by Friends Of India in response. The Indian embassy in Dublin has also issued a warning that there has been 'an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently'. They said Indian citizens in Ireland should take 'reasonable' precautions and avoid deserted areas. Mr Harris has said he was 'deeply concerned' about the incidents and that he was particularly affected by a reported attack on a six-year-old girl in Waterford. He said one of the most concerning things was the 'very young age of those that have been involved in some of this racist activity'. The Ireland India Council said they wanted assaults on members of the Indian community to be recognised as hate crimes, to ensure the offences are 'appropriately recorded and addressed'. They will also call for a cross-departmental task force on hate crime and youth violence to deliver a coordinated response. They also want 'legislative reform to hold parents accountable for repeat violent behaviour by minors in their care'. They also have called for enhanced policing, swift prosecution of offenders, and an outreach programme to communities affected. On Sunday, Minister of State with responsibility for migration Colm Brophy said he wanted the incoming Garda commissioner Justin Kelly to prioritise addressing these incidents. 'We actually have seen a drop in serious crime, but in this particular area, we have seen a rise in the type of attacks,' he told RTE Radio. 'I think there needs to be a stronger policing response in this area because there's two aspects to these attacks which I think are very very unacceptable. 'The first is obviously the attack itself, and the second then is the recording and videoing of it and the disseminating of it on social media and there's a role that has to be dealt with there as well.' The Indian embassy has been contacted for comment. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Post
an hour ago
- Irish Post
Ireland to face Israel in basketball amid threat of team sanctions
BASKETBALL IRELAND has confirmed that the national women's team will compete in its scheduled EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers game against Israel. This decision follows weeks of internal deliberation and pressure from the sport's international authority. The decision comes despite widespread outrage over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and internal debate about the ethicality of facing Israel in a competition. In a statement, Basketball Ireland said it had arrived at the decision after 'lengthy and careful consideration', noting that the governing body had explored all options, including a potential withdrawal from the qualifiers. The final decision, however, was heavily influenced by the threat of serious sanctions from FIBA Europe, the continent's basketball authority. 'Facing Israel in these circumstances is not a scenario we would wish,' said Basketball Ireland CEO John Feehan. 'But FIBA Europe made it clear that refusing to play would lead to sanctions that could seriously damage Irish basketball, particularly the women's game, which is still rebuilding after a 14-year absence from the international stage.' The Irish federation said it would only agree to face Israel at neutral venues and has already communicated this stipulation to FIBA. Ireland is scheduled to meet Israel in an away fixture on 18 November, with the return game slated for March 2026. Had Ireland refused to play, the team would have faced immediate financial penalties, including a fine of €80,000 for missing the November fixture and a further €100,000 for skipping the return game. Also, they risked being excluded from both the 2027 and 2029 EuroBasket qualification campaigns. The decision reignites tensions first sparked during a February 2024 EuroBasket qualifier, when Irish players staged a silent protest by refusing to shake hands with Israeli counterparts or stand for the national anthem. The protest drew criticism from Israel's camp, including accusations of antisemitism from Israeli guard Dor Saar, remarks that Basketball Ireland deemed 'inflammatory and wholly inaccurate' and reported to FIBA. The governing body later issued a warning to the Irish federation. Feehan stressed that while the federation has strong humanitarian concerns regarding the situation in Gaza, its hands are tied when it comes to sport governance. 'There has been no change in Israel's status within international sport, as confirmed by FIBA Europe, the International Olympic Committee, and other governing bodies,' he said. Ireland's EuroBasket qualification group also includes Luxembourg and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Irish side will open its campaign at home, facing Luxembourg and Bosnia on 12 and 15 November, respectively. 'We are committed to supporting our athletes, growing the women's game, and maintaining our place in international basketball,' said Feehan. 'We also continue to call for peace, humanitarian access, and an end to suffering in Gaza.' See More: Basketball, Basketball Ireland, FIBA, Israel, Israel-Gaza
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Israel's military target Al Jazeera correspondent - killing him and others
Israel's military has targeted a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent with an air strike, killing him, another journalist and at least six other people. Anas al-Sharif and his Al Jazeera colleague Mohamed Qureiqa were among those killed while sheltering outside the Gaza City Hospital complex late on Sunday. Officials at Shifa Hospital confirmed the deaths and said the strike also killed four other journalists and two other people. It also damaged the entrance to the hospital complex's emergency building. Israel's military described Mr al-Sharif as the leader of a Hamas cell – an allegation that Al Jazeera and Mr al-Sharif had previously dismissed as baseless. The incident marked the first time during the war that Israel's military has swiftly claimed responsibility after a journalist was killed in a strike. It came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused Mr al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In a July 24 video, Israel's army spokesman Avichay Adraee attacked Al Jazeera and accused Mr al-Sharif of being part of Hamas's military wing. Al Jazeera called the strike a 'targeted assassination' and accused Israeli officials of incitement, connecting Mr al-Sharif's death to the allegations that both the broadcaster and correspondent had denied. 'Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people,' Al Jazeera said in a statement. Mr al-Sharif reported a nearby bombardment minutes before his death. In a social media post that Al Jazeera said was written to be posted in case of his death, he bemoaned the devastation and destruction that war had wrought and bid farewell to his wife, son and daughter. 'I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification,' the 28-year-old wrote. The journalists are the latest to be killed in what observers have called the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times. The Committee to Protect Journalists said on Sunday that at least 186 have been killed in Gaza. Mr al-Sharif began reporting for Al Jazeera a few days after war broke out. He was known for reporting on Israel's bombardment in northern Gaza, and later for the starvation gripping much of the territory's population. In a July broadcast he cried on air as a woman behind him collapsed from hunger. 'I am talking about slow death of those people,' he said at the time. Al Jazeera is blocked in Israel and soldiers raided its offices in the occupied West Bank last year, ordering them to close. Mr al-Sharif's death comes weeks after the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel had targeted him with a smear campaign. 'Israel's pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,' Sara Qudah, the group's regional director, said. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
