Letters to the Editor, August 11th: On two sides to attacks on Gaza, an emergency planning court, and RTÉ

Irish Times

2 days ago

Sir, – Sonia Harris Pope's expansive article is deeply disturbing to read ('
As an Irish Jew my Star of David is no longer a badge of pride but a mark of shame
,' August 9th).
Describing her Irish Jewish heritage on her father's side, Ms Harris takes aim at the Jews whom she perceives to be complicit in the actions of the Netanyahu government, namely those she deems not outspoken enough against Israel.
In her lament, she tells us that wearing her Star of David makes her ashamed.
Not once does she refer to Hamas, funded by Qatar and Iran, whose stated aim is the destruction of Israel, content to immiserate their own civilian population in the process and, like Israel's prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, need the conflict to continue for their own political survival.
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And no mention of the hostages still held captive. She makes several references to history, before dismissing them as meaningless, when people are starving in Gaza.
I am Jewish (on both sides). I am utterly devastated by the horror inflicted by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, by Israel's ferocious and disproportionate response and by the shocking level of cruelty this war continues to inflict on innocent civilians.
While my horror at Netanyahu's disregard for the law has reached new heights, so has my desire for Israel to survive, to flourish as a liberal democracy and to be the one place where Jews can live free from anti-Semitism.
In December 2023 I put on my Star of David for the first time in 45 years. My sense of identity will not be shaped by the distortions of Netanyahu's brand of ethno-nationalism nor by the subsequent tidal wave of anti-Semitism, nor the divisions in the diaspora.
I suspect that Ms Harris has little awareness of how difficult it has been for those of us in the Jewish community who wish to speak up. We are demonised, accused of being indifferent to Palestinian suffering.
We are lectured on anti-Semitism while often subjected to language that is unvarnished anti-Jewish racism. Our voice is increasingly silenced; you hardly hear a Jewish voice on broadcast media anymore.
My mother was forced to wear a yellow Star of David in the Warsaw Ghetto as an infant. Her uncle and 11- year-old cousin were murdered in their attempt to escape the Ghetto. My aunt came to Israel in 1949, part of the miserable human residue of the Holocaust; it was her only refuge.
Under Nazi occupation, the yellow Star of David became the symbol of shame and denigration for the Jews of Europe. Never again will I be shamed for wearing my Magen David nor will I ever hide my identity.
Might I suggest Ms Harris, in the comfort of a life absent of such a challenge, reflect on the privilege of having the choice to display her identity.
Jews are no more responsible for the actions for the Israeli government than Catholics are for the crimes of the Catholic Church. – Yours, etc,
OLIVER SEARS,
Holocaust Awareness Ireland,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – I wish to express my support to Sonia Harris Pope for her courageous and honest article.
I am appalled by the Israeli disproportionate response to the initial vicious attack by Hamas. Palestinians are among the most disadvantaged peoples on earth.
However, there is a widespread failure by commentators and observers to distinguish between the political views and actions of the Israeli government, and the religious belief of the Jewish people.
Israel is an independent state with many non-Jewish citizens and it should be possible to criticise its politicians' actions without being described as anti-Semitic.
Ms Harris Pope has done a huge service in clarifying the distinction between Israeli politics and Jewish religion in such an enlightened manner. – Yours, etc,
DECLAN MURPHY,
Greenshill,
Kilkenny.
Sir, – Israel's stated task has been to bring the hostages home and to eliminate Hamas, a murderous organisation which cruelly exploits its own people. Some successes have been achieved, but many failures too. Those of us whose hearts have always been with Israel must now ask ourselves the question: do Hamas' crimes make Israel's subsequent actions right? Does the end always justify the means? – Yours, etc,
HEATHER ABRAHAMSON,
Clonskeagh,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – Hamas proved itself in the attack of October 2023 and with its subsequent imprisonment of hostages to be a brutal, callous and cynical organisation. The government of Israel, by its killing of thousands of civilians, its continuing devastation of infrastructure and its withholding of food for Gaza, has proved itself to be equally brutal, callous and cynical.
The difference is that Hamas was (in the west) already widely proscribed and regarded as a terrorist organisation, whereas Israel has been regarded by many as a democratic state which supposedly upholds 'civilised' values. Both have repeatedly broken international law and been responsible for the deaths of vast numbers of innocent people.
Hamas and the Netanyahu government have reached the point of totally dehumanising the 'other', to the extent that holding people captive in basements and shooting dead children queueing for food are considered legitimate strategies.
There will be no peace or security in the region, for Israel or its neighbours, if Hamas continues to play a role in governing any part of Palestine, and if the government of Netanyahu remains in place. – Yours, etc,
NICK CAVAN NORTH,
Co Donegal.
Emergency planning court
Sir, – When paramilitary terrorism threatened the security of the State, the emergency was addressed with the establishment of the Special Criminal Court. Successive governments have reviewed and decided to retain the court as an instrument in tackling ongoing threats from paramilitaries and criminal gangs.
During the Covid pandemic emergency powers were enacted that restrained how far from their homes people could walk.
I was stopped at a Garda checkpoint near my home demanding to know where I was going. It felt very intrusive but I accepted it.
As a democracy we consent to the erosion of individual rights when needed to protect and advance the interests of wider society.
We now have a housing emergency and potentially crippling infrastructure deficits, as mentioned, for example, in your headline 'Intel warns over energy cost and planning obstacles,' August 5th, but our existing planning laws clearly make it impossible to build the necessary houses or infrastructure.
If Government Ministers could dispense with disingenuous clichés like 'the target is 50,000 units next year, but it will be challenging,' (which means impossible) and tell the truth, that it is a true emergency, then a game-changing intervention would be to establish a special planning appeals court, equipped with binding emergency powers to remove obstacles to progress on critical projects.
Anything less and we are doomed to 'hoping against hope'. – Yours, etc,
EDDIE MOLLOY,
Rathgar,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – The Netherlands has a population of about 18.4 million people living in a country that spans 41,542km². Ireland (the Republic) has a population of 5.4 million people living over 70,273km².
Homelessness figures in the Netherlands are about 30,000 and over 15,000 in Ireland (and increasing).
Our figures are clearly not related to having enough 'space' to build homes. I asked my nine-year old son what he would do – just build more houses Mummy! – Yours, etc,
CAROLINE HYNES-RYAN,
Co Dublin.
Rural transport
Sir, – The Government's National Development Plan, which has been more hyped than Oasis in Croke Park next month, has once again neglected the transport needs of rural Ireland.
Bus passengers outside of Dublin, our other cities and larger towns, deserve parity of treatment from our Government.
We all pay our taxes and should not be discriminated against once more when it comes to vital services just because of where we live.
This is why the planned expansion of free travel for children under nine years old must include commercial operators, given that we provide the vast majority of scheduled services across the country.
Public transport and reducing car dependency are central goals of the Government's relaunched National Development Plan. Yet, it remains more expensive and more difficult for people in many parts of rural Ireland to take a bus than to drive.
While the expansion of free public transport is a noble objective, the exclusion of commercial operators from such schemes has created a two-tier public transport system, with passengers outside of Dublin once again being forgotten.
Including commercial operators in the scheme would cost the Government as little as ¤1 million, a modest investment in this context, that would bring significant societal benefits, help to reduce our emissions, and act as a meaningful cost-of-living measure.
I think it's also fair to ask: why is the Government preparing to spend over ¤2 billion on a metro system for Dublin, while simultaneously neglecting the everyday transport needs of rural communities?
I hope the Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien, will act to correct this stark injustice and ensure that all commuters, regardless of location, are treated equally. – Yours, etc,
DAVID CONWAY,
Chairperson,
Coach Tourism and Transport
Council of Ireland (CTTC),
Dublin 2.
Weighing in on SUVs
Sir, – Over the last decade, big bulky sports utility vehicles have become the most popular cars on Irish roads, with the Irish car market in 2024 showing a clear preference for SUVs. Now, the Government is considering a tax on SUVs among a number of options ahead of Budget 2026 – a move that has the potential to cause the Irish consumer to ditch their weighty love affair with SUVs.
This year to date, 23 pedestrians and nine cyclists have lost their lives on Irish roads.
Recent data from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) showed that in 2024, Ireland ranked seventh in Europe for the number of road deaths per million population.
The fact that SUVs are higher off the ground gives the car a higher centre of gravity, increasing the risk of rolling.
Evidence has shown that SUVs have an 11-times increased risk of rolling over in an incident and children in SUVs are twice as likely to die in that incident.
Blind spots and high bonnets make SUVs particularly dangerous for pedestrians. When they do strike pedestrians, they are more likely to cause serious injury and death, especially over 30kph.
One country is leading the charge to disincentivise purchase of heavier vehicles with both higher parking fees as well as taxation. France has introduced a tax on cars according to weight – the tax is due to get even weightier in 2026.
It is time to ditch our love affair with SUVs. A weight tax would be a good place to start. – Yours, etc,
CATHERINE CONLON,
Ballintemple,
Cork.
RTÉ not on the money
Sir, –Your report '
RTÉ pays out €360,000 on guest fees for appearances over past year
', August 11th, makes for interesting reading.
Most of the 'guest' appearances seem to be other RTÉ employees or contract workers pulled from the canteen to plug their own programmes.
I just wonder how the figure seems so high ? – Yours, etc,
MIKE MORAN,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – I note that RTÉ will not buy the rights to televise the Shels v Rijeka Europa League match, citing a rights fee of €70,000 and an audience of only 120,000 for the previous Euro match Shels v Linfield.
A little arithmetic might assist RTÉ: the €160 licence fee multiplied by 120,000 viewers equals €19.2 million.
Subtract €70,000 and RTÉ would have a surplus of €19.13 million.
But, as we all know, financial acumen is not a particular strength of RTÉ.
For those interested, watch the match live on LOITV, who were brave enough to buy the rights and who are a blessing for all league fans throughout the year. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL McGOVERN,
Walkinstown,
Dublin 12.
Sir, – Now that Tubs has returned the famous €150,000 could RTÉ please restore 'What it says in the papers,' on weekend mornings? – Yours, etc,
JOHN O'CONNELL,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
Prescribing opioids and pain
Sir, – A new research study has found that GP prescriptions for opioid painkillers are on the rise in the Republic ('
Irish doctors increasingly prescribe highly addictive opioids for pain, new study finds
', August 7th).
There are concerns that this increase could lead to drug dependency. Is the problem the risk of addiction from certain painkillers or is it a failure to address the crisis of chronic pain in this country?
As someone who has chronic pain all my life, I can honestly say that I will try anything that might alleviate my pains. I have been on numerous painkillers, including opiates.
I chose to take them in order to work and have some quality of life.
Indeed, I would argue that most people with chronic conditions will try any drug to relieve their pain even if there are side effects and a risk of over dependency.
Undoubtedly, modern pain medication has contributed greatly to the alleviation of pain.
I, for one, could not function without them.
At the same time, I am also aware that they are not a panacea. They can only alleviate pain to a certain degree, have serious side effects and can interact negatively with other drugs.
There also appears to be little biomedical science involved in matching an individual patient with the complex range of painkillers available.
It is still largely a case of 'try this one and see how you get on'.
It is estimated that at least one in five people have chronic pain in the Republic.
Our public health system struggles to address the problem.
Last year I was told as an urgent public patient that I would have to wait 2½ years to see a pain consultant. The reason given for the delay was an increase in demand and lack of specialists.
If we are serious about addressing the chronic pain crisis in this country then I would argue two things need to happen.
First, we need more research to understand the complex causes, impact and treatment of chronic pain.
Also, the influence of body, mind and socio-environmental factors on pain. There is also much to be learned from people with chronic pain and they should be active participants in this research.
Second, we need speedy access to pain specialists working within interdisciplinary teams located across the country and who view chronic pain holistically. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN HOBAN,
Dromasta,
Drimoleague,
Co Cork.
Judge for yourself
Sir, – I read that a senior judge has called for the 'dumbing down' of court language so that a lay person can understand what was said or written.
Perhaps a future judgment might read: ' Well, like, the first dude was so totally wrong and the other dude was sort of right so, like, that dude wins – know what I mean?' – Yours, etc,
GERARD CLARKE,
Dundrum,
Dublin.