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Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour broke down in tears as he described the suffering of children amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Video: Reuters
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Irish Times
29 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Unions call on workers to pause for ‘reflection' on child deaths in Gaza
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) has called on workers to participate in a 'moment of respectful reflection' at 1.05pm on Wednesday in solidarity with the victims of the conflict in Gaza and has expressed the hope that employers will respect their staff's desire to participate. The event has been timed to coincide with the International UN Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, the organisation says. The Taoiseach has said that UN agencies should be "enabled and allowed" to distribute food aid in Gaza amid ongoing deaths at aid centres. Video: Bryan O'Brien 'Since the beginning of the conflict, Israel's assault on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 15,000 children and injuries to 34,000 others,' said Ictu in a statement. The event, it said, would serve 'as a simple act of solidarity and remembrance for the loss of life over the past 18 months'. READ MORE Ictu general secretary Owen Reidy said the event is in response to calls from union members to mark the 'devastating impact on the people of Gaza, particularly the children who have suffered so greatly'. Announcing the initiative last week, he said, 'union members, like much of the Irish public, have been appalled by Israel's wanton violations of international law'. Congress said the event is not intended to be regarded as a work stoppage and has asked members and other workers to co-ordinate with their employers wherever possible. Mr Reidy said there had been a positive response to the move since it was announced last week and the organisation is expecting tens of thousands of members to participate. [ UN demands investigation as at least 27 Palestinians are killed near Gaza aid site Opens in new window ] More than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military action in response to the cross-border attack by Hamas; an assault that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people, according to Israel. More 4,000 Palestinians have died since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18th, according to the territory's health ministry.
Irish Times
33 minutes ago
- Irish Times
‘My ex-husband and I have been invited to a wedding - and I'm worried'
Question My ex-husband and I divorced when our two children were quite young. The girls have suffered as a result of his missing out on lots in their lives and there is now an opportunity for some reparation. My god daughter is getting married and she is connected to both of our families and has invited all of us to her wedding. She has included my ex and his mother and siblings, plus my children and the rest of my family of origin. I was very angry with my ex for a long time, particularly over the disappointment the children suffered at his not making enough effort with them but the girls are particularly excited at his being at this event and I feel I need to make an effort for them. I have decided to let bygones be bygones and open up to him and his family for the event, even though they have been disdainful and dismissive of me since the divorce. There is a possibility that my ex is more open to co- parenting and we've had a few tentative communications. The problem is my family – they are also hurt and angry with my ex and his family for the way he treated me and they say they will not speak to any of them at the wedding. They think I am soft and stupid for giving in to him. I really just want to focus on my girls and give them a great day but I feel very stuck in the middle and worry that no matter what I do, something will fall apart: either my own family, who are my support system, will be hurt or my kids will lose out on feeling good about having their dad and mum in the same room. READ MORE Answer Your attitude is excellent in that you are planning on meeting the biggest need in this situation – that of your daughters having a good relationship with both parents. However, it sounds as though you have arrived at this magnanimous place after what must have been a tough time during the separation. Your ex-husband has missed so much of your children's lives and it was a very good thing that your family supported you. However, it often happens that family and friends remain more angry than the partner, and yours are still outraged at the way you have been treated. However, it is really your decision regarding the event and they should follow your lead and they are more likely to do this if you sound confident and assertive in your belief that being civil to your husband and his family is good for your children. Confidence stems from having faith in your decision and trusting that it is the right thing to do. Speaking openly and often about your stance will not only enhance your own position but will also let your family hear your seriousness and might offer them an opportunity to work out their own difficulties and reservations. [ Co-parenting: 'We always put our children's needs before our own, so we could see the bigger picture' Opens in new window ] Remember that it is not your job to sort out or fix their anger, but it is important that they know you no longer need them as champions of your victimisation. You no longer feel this way and are now a person who is strong and confident and is following a decision that is the best for your children. A suggestion might be to propose to your ex that he send an email or text to your family saying that he is grateful for this opportunity for reconnect, but this depends on your willingness to have this conversation. This message might soften your family's position, but it might also demonstrate an acknowledgment on his part of the schism that took place. If you are genuinely suggesting that he be invited into co-parenting, then it will be important for the two of you to have some challenging conversations and this could be the starting point for future discussions. [ 'I left my husband for another man and our two children are bearing the brunt of his refusal to speak to me' Opens in new window ] Your daughters will benefit from having parents who can speak robustly together and so they will not have to protect you from each other, this will be of huge benefit in their lives. Trust that your position is one of largesse, and one of confidence and that you are now in the leadership position, both with your own family and with your ex-husband. This can only improve life for all concerned and well done to you. To send your question to Trish Murphy, fill in the form below, click here or email tellmeaboutit@ .form-group {width:100% !important;}
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
The Encampments review: Taut, disciplined documentary about Palestine protests at Columbia University
The Encampments Director : Kei Pritsker, Michael T Workman Cert : 12A Starring : Sueda Polat, Mahmoud Khalil, Grant Miner, Naye idriss, Bisan Owda, Ali Abunimah, Layan Fuleihan, Jamal Joseph Running Time : 1 hr 20 mins This fine documentary on the Palestine solidarity encampments at Columbia University, in Manhattan, makes much of comparisons with student protests against the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. We are reminded that the mainstream United States was not then much impressed with the students' actions. (A significant majority of those polled blamed the students themselves for the National Guard's killing of protesters at Kent State.) Over time, however, sympathy eventually drifted the way of the anti-war movement. 'Why do you think these encampments caused such an intense response from some of the most powerful people in the world?' the current film begins. We cut to Mike Johnson, speaker of the US House of Representatives, decrying 'radical, extreme ideologies'. Senator Tom Cotton then argues that 'these little Gazas are disgusting cesspools of anti-Semitic hate'. It all feels startlingly familiar – right down to the use of 'freaks', a very 1960s word, to describe the protesters. Sueda Polat, a graduate student at the heart of the movement, calmly notes widespread reluctance in the US media to engage with the continuing slaughter in Palestine. Yelling at students is a heck of a lot easier. Nobody would mistake The Encampments for an unaligned documentary. Kei Pritsker and Michael T Workman, reporting from the heart of the protest, structure their film around three key participants. Mahmoud Khalil , who acted as liaison between students and the university, later found himself arrested by the US immigration agency. Grant Miner, involved in the occupation of the college's Hamilton Hall, was subsequently expelled from Columbia. Along with Polat, those two, addressing the camera directly, provide a sober and reasoned defence for a campaign that, among other things, asked the Ivy League institution to divest from companies with ties to the Israeli government. READ MORE Counterarguments are sparse, mostly represented by spittle-flecked politicians and fulminating right-wing media. Fair enough. There is an honourable tradition of film-makers anchoring themselves to one core perspective – and, as the opening of the film clarifies, contradictory takes are available all day and every day. The Encampments may win over few hostile to the college occupations, but it offers an important record of how the campaign developed. Pritsker and Workman lay out the story in taut, disciplined fashion. There is no flash to the documentary – no animation, no re-enactments, no show-off montages. We learn about the demands for divestment. We hear how, after requests are ignored, students set up camps on the lawns. What seems to have set the Columbia occupation apart was the authorities' decision to allow the police in to arrest students. The directors get their camera in among the rough and tumble. The key difference between documentaries on the 1960s protests and those today is, of course, to do with technology. The students are wired in to one another and to the wider worlds with social media. The directors have equipment that can go anywhere (and that never runs out of film). [ Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat: A fleet-footed chronicle that never lets up Opens in new window ] Pritsker and Workman are able to inveigle an extraordinary amount of information into an economic running time. We get close into the students' faces. We learn how they fed themselves. We get a sense of the movement spreading out to the rest of the United States and the rest of the world. It's a raw, bald film, but one that never loses its focus. What the world ultimately comes to think of the protests and of this film depends on events in the Middle East. But the cases of Miner and Khalil confirm that those behind the barricades had – and still have – much at stake. This is no game. 'We are just getting started,' one protester says towards the close. 'We have a cause we believe in and we are going to fight until the end.' In cinemas from Friday, June 6th
