RTÉ slammed by Government for 'lazy narrative' of US threats
Government figures have criticised RTÉ over its coverage of the warning by a small group of Republicans that Ireland, if it passes the Occupied Territories Bill, should be added to a list of countries which boycott Israel.
The group of 16 congressmen and women, led by New York Republican congresswoman Claudia Tenney, have contacted US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. The group of 16 congressmen and women, led by New York Republican congresswoman Claudia Tenney, have contacted US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. Pic:If Ireland is added to the list of countries that boycott Israel, it would lead to the imposition of specific tax reporting requirements and potential penalties for US individuals and businesses engaged in certain activities in this country.
Regarding the planned legislation, Tánaiste Simon Harris said: 'Ireland is not alone in relation to this. This week, we also saw Slovenia take action in relation to trade from the Occupied Territories. I expect Belgium are likely to do the same and we intend to advance with our legislation.'
The Occupied Territories Bill, introduced by Senator Frances Black in 2018, has completed pre-legislative scrutiny with the Committee on Foreign Affairs unanimously recommending services be included with goods. Regarding the planned legislation, Tánaiste Simon Harris said: 'Ireland is not alone in relation to this.' Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
The Bill was criticised by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who called it an 'act of diplomatic intoxication' and said Ireland should 'sober up'.
The Government has stressed it only wants to ban goods in Israeli-occupied territories. Government sources were scathing about the group of Republicans, noting: 'These are utterly unknown figures even in America. They carry no credibility even in the Republican Party.'
Regarding RTÉ's coverage, sources complained about the prominence given to the story. One said: 'It really is a lazy narrative. RTÉ should be doing better than this.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
UN, EU condemn Israel's deadly strike on journalists in Gaza
Condemnations poured in from the United Nations, the EU and media rights groups after an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera news team in Gaza, as Palestinians mourned the journalists and Israel accused one of them of being a Hamas militant. Dozens of Gazans stood amid bombed-out buildings in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to pay their respects to Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent aged 28, and four of his colleagues killed on Sunday. Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said a sixth journalist, freelance reporter Mohammed Al-Khaldi, was killed in the strike that targeted the Al Jazeera team. Mourners including men wearing blue journalists' flak jackets carried their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds with their faces exposed, through narrow alleys to their graves. Israel confirmed it had targeted Sharif, whom it labelled a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas, alleging he "posed as a journalist". Al Jazeera said four other employees - correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa - were killed when the strike hit a tent set up for journalists outside the main gate of Al-Shifa. An Israeli military statement accused Sharif of heading a Hamas "terrorist cell" and being "responsible for advancing rocket attacks" against Israelis. The military released documents alleging to show the date of Sharif's enlistment with Hamas in 2013, an injury report from 2017 and the name of his military unit and rank. According to local journalists who knew him, Mr Sharif had worked at the start of his career with a Hamas communication office, where his role was to publicise events organised by the group that has ruled in Gaza since 2006. Mr Sharif was one of Al Jazeera's most recognisable faces working in Gaza, providing daily reports on the now 22-month-old war. Media freedom groups have condemned the Israeli strike on journalists, which the UN human rights agency called a "grave breach of international humanitarian law". The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that "the EU condemns the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists." 'Attempt to silence' A posthumous message, written by Mr Sharif in April in case of his death, was published online saying he had been silenced and urging people "not to forget Gaza". In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for his protection following online posts by an Israeli military spokesman. The group had accused Israel of a "pattern" of labelling journalists militants "without providing credible evidence", and said the military had levelled similar accusations against media workers in Gaza including Al Jazeera staff. "International law is clear that active combatants are the only justified targets in a war setting," Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ's chief executive, told AFP. Unless Israel "can demonstrate that Anas al-Sharif was still an active combatant, then there is no justification for his killing." Al Jazeera called the attack "a desperate attempt to silence voices exposing the Israeli occupation", and described Sharif as "one of Gaza's bravest journalists". The Qatari broadcaster also said the strike followed "repeated incitement" and calls by Israeli officials to target Sharif and his colleagues. Reporters Without Borders says nearly 200 journalists have been killed in the war, which was sparked by Hamas's deadly October 2023 attack on Israel. Israel prevents international reporters from entering Gaza, except on occasional tightly controlled trips with the military. The strike on the news team in Gaza City came days after the Israeli security cabinet approved plans to send troops into the area, a decision met with mounting domestic and international criticism. 'Another calamity' Mr Netanyahu said the military will conquer the remaining quarter or so of the territory not yet controlled by Israeli troops - including much of Gaza City and Al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated safe zone where huge numbers of Palestinians have sought refuge. The plan, which Israeli media reported had triggered bitter disagreement between the government and military leadership, drew condemnation from protesters in Israel and numerous countries, including Israeli allies. Notably Germany, a major weapons supplier and staunch ally, announced the suspension of shipments of any arms that could be used in Gaza. Mr Netanyahu has remained defiant, telling journalists that "we will win the war, with or without the support of others." The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have condemned the planned offensive, which UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca said "will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza". UN agencies warned last month that famine was unfolding in the territory, with Israel severely restricting aid entry. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,499 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations says are reliable. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Ireland must take action on this escalation in racist attacks
The recent spate of attacks on members of the Indian community in Ireland has rightly shocked Irish people unused to experiencing the naked hatred illustrated by such behaviour. On Monday, Tánaiste and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris met members of the 80,000-strong Indian community in Ireland to express his horror and disgust at recent attacks but the unease within that community at the outbreaks of violence against them is palpable and growing. While he tried to assure them that as the attacks are racially motivated, they will not be allowed to continue, his words may not stem the reputational damage being caused to Ireland. The attacks have left a data scientist, a taxi driver, and a sous chef with, respectively, a broken cheekbone, 12 stitches, and in need of hospital treatment. That was bad enough, but when a soon-to-be tech worker was beaten, stabbed, robbed, and partially stripped in Tallaght, newly anti Indian sentiments took on a more sinister tone. And when a six-year-old Irish Indian girl was attacked by a group of boys twice her age in Waterford last week, the matter became even more grave. The reaction in India itself has been swift and sharp. Rarely does Ireland feature much in the Indian media, but these attacks have attracted much press attention and, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs, caused 'damage' to the State's reputation there. What we have witnessed in recent weeks is an alarming escalation in the frequency and brutality of attacks on Indian people and it must not be tolerated. That Indians, or any other race for that matter, in Ireland have become fearful for their safety is not acceptable. Irish authorities must act decisively, rapidly, and visibly to prevent any normalisation of hate crimes such as those we have witnessed, otherwise our reputation as a safe and hospitable society risks losing credibility. Another new low for Israel Much as the horror of what has been unfolding in Gaza in recent weeks, where it has become normal for crowds of starving Palestinians to be routinely shot at and killed by members of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the deliberate targeting of journalists was another new low. The killing of Al Jazeera news anchor Anas Al-Sharif and four members of his team brought the number of Palestinian journalists killed in the conflict to 186, of whom 178 were Palestinian reporters killed by Israel. Award-winning journalist Anas al-Sharif was one of five Al Jazeera staff killed by an Israeli drone strike on their tent in Gaza on Sunday. Picture: Al Jazeera/AP Although these figures are piffling by comparison with the horrifying numbers of civilian deaths, reporting on the conflict has, over the course of the 22-month Israeli onslaught on the 2.3m people in Gaza, become a deadly business. With no foreign journalists allowed to enter the territory by Israel to report independently, coverage has been left to Palestinian journalists who are under the same threat of personal targeting and must endure the same conditions as other civilians. Anas Al-Sharif was the recipient of Amnesty International Australia's Human Rights Defender Award in 2024 for his 'resilience, bravery, and commitment to press freedom while working in the most dangerous conditions'. It was not just dangerous for him. His father was killed, his house bombed, he was under continual threat of being targeted by the IDF. Those Palestinian journalists who have braved the Israeli onslaught have to endure aerial bombing, drone attacks, shootings, and forcible relocation. They face the same daily scramble for food and water supplies — not to mention accommodation — as everyone else in the territory. National Union of Journalists Dublin broadcasting branch chairwoman Emma O'Kelly, centre, with NUJ members including general secretary Seamus Dooley, right, at a rally on Dublin's O'Connell St protesting Israel's killing of journalists in Palestine. Picture: Niall Carson/PA The accusation from Israel that Mr Al-Sharif was a Hamas operative can be considered as little other than another cheap shot from an administration in Tel Aviv trying desperately to justify its increasingly genocidal intentions. In his last post from Gaza, Mr Al-Sharif decried the world's failure to stop the 'massacre'. Sadly, he is now just another number in the litany of the dead. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Ukraine should not be left out of talks Donald Trump's shadowy diplomacy is once more in danger of leaving Ukraine on the outside looking in, when he meets with Vladimir Putin in Alaska next Friday to discuss ending a war the Russian president started. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy cannot be left outside the proposed Alaska talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. File picture: Heinz-Peter Bader/AP What is widely understood, at this point of the conflict, is that ending it is fully in the US president's hands, but his unwillingness to impose the necessary sanctions on Moscow up until now suggests the Alaska talks will end up being a diplomatic coup for the Kremlin. Already, Trump's shift from frustration with Putin's intransigence on stopping deadly air raids on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, to wanting to sit down and talk through conditions for ending the conflict, appear to have dealt the winning cards to Putin. The softened White House rhetoric on sanctioning Russia to a punitive degree has not eased Moscow's increasingly vituperative stance on Ukraine being included in the Alaska summit. What Russia wants is a deal on its terms — agreed to by Washington and Moscow, and imposed on Ukraine. That the significance of a trilateral meeting is being actively downplayed by Moscow underscored the importance both warring factions attach to meeting Trump first, and the perceived benefits such a situation would confer. Russia has, since Trump's election, pressed for a US-Russia deal to end the war on their terms and deliberately cold-shouldering both Ukraine and the rest of Europe. The worry now is that, for all his talk of 'disgusting' air raids on Ukraine and his description of Putin as 'crazy', Trump has yet to put any pressure at all on Russia. Damage after a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Wednesday. Picture: Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP The fear is that Ukraine will be sidelined from the Alaska summit and Putin, yet again, will walk away with an agreement which will not deliver any kind of just, sustainable, or lasting peace. The Trump administration cannot allow that to happen. If Putin manages to keep Trump on the negotiating merry-go-round, it will not be in America's best national interests, nor those of Kyiv.
Sunday World
7 hours ago
- Sunday World
Trump to deploy National Guard in Washington DC to tackle crime and homelessness
seize control | The president said he would end the 'days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people' US President Donald Trump (Jane Barlow/PA) Trump has promised new steps to tackle homelessness and crime in Washington, prompting the city's mayor to voice concerns about the potential use of the National Guard to patrol the streets. Ahead of a news conference, Trump said Monday on social media that the nation's capital would be 'LIBERATED today!' He said he would end the 'days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people.' US President Donald Trump (Jane Barlow/PA) News in 90 seconds - 11th August 2025 For Trump, the effort to take over public safety in Washington reflects a next step in his law enforcement agenda after his aggressive push to stop illegal border crossings. But the move involves at least 500 federal law enforcement officials, raising fundamental questions about how an increasingly emboldened federal government will interact with its state and local counterparts. The president has used his social media and White House megaphones to message that his administration is tough on crime, yet his ability to shape policy might be limited outside of Washington, which has a unique status as a congressionally established federal district. Nor is it clear how his push would address the root causes of homelessness and crime. About 500 federal law enforcement officers are being tasked with deploying throughout the nation's capital as part of the Trump administration's effort to combat crime, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Monday. More than 100 FBI agents and about 40 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among federal law enforcement personnel being assigned to patrols in Washington, the person briefed on the plans said. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Marshals Service are also contributing officers. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss personnel matters and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. The Justice Department didn't immediately have a comment Monday morning. Trump in a Sunday social media post had emphasized the removal of Washington's homeless population, though it was unclear where the thousands of people would go. 'The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,' Trump wrote Sunday. 'We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong.' Last week, the Republican president directed federal law enforcement agencies to increase their presence in Washington for seven days, with the option 'to extend as needed.' On Friday night, federal agencies including the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service assigned more than 120 officers and agents to assist in Washington. Trump said last week that he was considering ways for the federal government to seize control of Washington, asserting that crime was 'ridiculous' and the city was 'unsafe,' after the recent assault of a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, questioned the effectiveness of using the Guard to enforce city laws and said the federal government could be far more helpful by funding more prosecutors or filling the 15 vacancies on the D.C. Superior Court, some of which have been open for years. Bowser cannot activate the National Guard herself, but she can submit a request to the Pentagon. 'I just think that's not the most efficient use of our Guard,' she said Sunday on MSNBC's 'The Weekend,' acknowledging it is "the president's call about how to deploy the Guard.' Read more Bowser was making her first public comments since Trump started posting about crime in Washington last week. She noted that violent crime in Washington has decreased since a rise in 2023. Trump's weekend posts depicted the district as 'one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World." For Bowser, 'Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false.' Police statistics show homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024. Overall, violent crime is down 26pc compared with this time a year ago. Trump offered no details in Truth Social posts over the weekend about possible new actions to address crime levels he argues are dangerous for citizens, tourists and workers alike. The White House declined to offer additional details about Monday's announcement. The police department and the mayor's office did not respond to questions about what Trump might do next. The president criticized the district as full of 'tents, squalor, filth, and Crime,' and he seems to have been set off by the attack on Edward Coristine, among the most visible figures of the bureaucracy-cutting effort known as DOGE. Police arrested two 15-year-olds in the attempted carjacking and said they were looking for others. 'This has to be the best run place in the country, not the worst run place in the country,' Trump said Wednesday. He called Bowser 'a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances.' Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining. It could face steep pushback. Bowser acknowledged that the law allows the president to take more control over the city's police, but only if certain conditions are met. 'None of those conditions exist in our city right now," she said. 'We are not experiencing a spike in crime. In fact, we're watching our crime numbers go down.'
