Letters: Occupied Territories Bill is about morality, not economics

Irish Independent

03-08-2025

I believe that Ireland taking this stance sends out a powerful signal to the world that this country is adopting a strong line on what is happening in the occupied territories.
One must not forget that some of the same arguments being posited by Mr Shatter were the same ones that were made against anti-apartheid measures and how this would have a negative impact on black people in South Africa.
I am curious about what Mr Shatter has to say about the seven innocent Gazan children who were recently killed by the Israeli military while waiting for water at a distribution point. This is about morality, not economics.
John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
Criticism is far from being antisemitism
Madam — Criticism of the state of Israel is not antisemitism.
Alan Shatter's column repeatedly refers to the targeting of Jews, rather than Israel, so he can level accusations of antisemitism. The settlements he refers to have been declared ill­egal by the UN, but he suggests they should not be subject to sanction because there are Jews present. Religion should be a matter of personal choice, not state policy.
Mark O'Hagan, Ballinacurra, Midleton, Co Cork
Zionism is more like English plantation
Madam — A more bizarre and ridiculous statement is hard to imagine than that made by Alan Shatter in your last edition: 'Zionism is nothing other than a belief in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their ancient homeland. It is no different to the belief that the Irish people have the right to self-determination on the island of Ireland.'
In the first and second centuries AD, the Romans drove out most of the Jews from what are today called Palestine and Israel. In the late 19th century, a sectarian, colonialist ideology was invented in the form of Zionism. This entailed Jewish plantation in Palestine and dispossession of Arabs of the lands where they had been living for almost two millennia.
If a comparison is to be made with Ireland, it is not insultingly with the Irish freedom struggle, but rather with the English plantations that began here in the 16th century in an attempt to supplant the native Irish.
The idea of an 'ancient homeland' of the Jews goes back to a situation that prevailed about 2,000 years ago and rests on a theological notion of a 'chosen people' in a 'promised land'.
As for 'self-determination', that does not attach to a religion, but to a people living in a territory where they have been located for most of modern (and often medieval history), namely the Arabs in historic Palestine 'from the river [Jordan] to the sea'.
Daltún Ó Ceallaigh, Rathmines, Dublin 6
Claims about Irish jobs are hysterical
Madam — Alan Shatter has misinterpreted the Occupied Territories Bill, which will probably include services as well as goods. While the value of these is small, the purpose of the bill is to draw attention to Israel's illegal annexation in the West Bank, undermining the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
None of his proposed arguments are correct. The bill does not discriminate against Jews.
The conflict in Gaza would not have ended if Hamas had released the hostages. In spite of Joe Biden's pleas, Benjamin Netanyahu declared all-out war.
The passing of the bill would have no effect on Hamas. The enforcement of the bill is a matter for the Irish Government, but it must be passed regardless of the hysteria about its potential effect on Irish jobs.
There will be no effect on jobs as countries invest only where it is advantageous to do so.
Teresa Mitchell, Arklow, Co Wicklow
Israel has terrorised Palestine since 1948
Madam — After reading Alan Shatter's column, I would like to point out that the war on Palestinians did not start after the Hamas outrage on October 7, 2023.
It started with the Deir Yass­in massacre of Palestinians in April, 1948, which led to the mass exodus of 430,000 Palestinians fleeing in terror. Israel has forcibly occupied, ethnically cleansed and practised apartheid against the Palestinian people ever since.
Daniel Teegan, Listarkin, Union Hall, Co Cork
Bill is an important symbol of resistance
Madam — While Alan Shatter earned a serious reputation as a politician, his analysis of the Occupied Territories Bill is flawed.
It fails to recognise the legislation as an important symbol of resistance in a world that turns a blind eye to killing and destruction on a scale that was never meant to happen again.
Mr Shatter is eloquent in reflecting the Israeli narrative, but is unfortunately silent on the other side of the story.
Richard Collis, Castleknock, Dublin 15
Irish women are ready to fight for trans rights
Madam — John Boyne's ­article about JK Rowling ('An ode to my friend JK Rowling on her 60th birthday', July 27) refers to 'grown women' who support trans rights as being 'complicit in their own ­erasure' and likens our supp­ort of trans people to 'being ready to pin a handmaiden down as her husband rapes her'.
Growing up in Ireland in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, I am one of the 'grown women' he refers to. I remember vividly the treatment of women who did not look or act as we were told we should; the vitriol with which queer people were spoken about and treated; the scorn and shame heaped on parents of gay people; the Aids epidemic; the Kerry Babies trial; and I remember Ann Lovett, dying cold, alone and terrified.
The 'grown women' of ­Ireland remember very well what erasure and control and lack of bodily autonomy feels like,and it is for that very reas­on that we stand so passionately with the trans community today.
Over 10,000 people marched for trans rights ­through the streets of Dublin. They, like me, simply want for the trans community what we want for ourselves — dignity, respect and the right to make medical decisions about our bodies in priv­acy with our doctors.
Karen Sugrue, co-chair, Mammies for Trans Rights, Co Limerick
Size of march shows where support lies
Madam — On checking my diaries, I discover that I weighed just under 10 stone in 2015, at the time the Gender Recognition Act came into law. Far from being erased, as John Boyne would have it, there app­ears to be considerably more of me today.
I wholeheartedly support the rights of transgender people to live their best, authentic lives, and, as a woman who has been a feminist since the 1970s, I know this does not affect my rights in any way. The 10,000 people who marched at Trans and ­Intersex Pride in Dublin last month would seem to agree.
The 'greatest sin of our time' is not transphobia, but, as so often in our past, the failure to believe women when we tell you who we are.
Bernie Linnane, Dromahair, Co Leitrim
Boyne far removed from female minds
Madam — John Boyne writes in support of JK Rowling and especially commends what he describes as her advocacy on behalf of women. He breezily dismisses her critics as being either middle-aged men, young people 'indoctrinated by social media' or dangerously misinformed women. According to Boyne, this last group is ­perhaps the worst.
I wonder what makes Boyne such an expert, either on what women need or why so many of us disagree with Rowling's activism? Might he, too, be a middle-aged man taking out his frustration? Perhaps he should allow Irish women to think and speak for ourselves.
Tracey Nutterfield, Newcastle West, Co Limerick
Planning system works fine without Haughey-style fixes
Madam — Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowen presented us last week with his conviction that the Government needs to follow the questionable example of Charles ­Haughey when it comes to planning obstacles ('Say what you like about Haughey, he knew how to unblock planning — Cowen', July 27).
I was one of those who appealed in the case that he gives as an example, a Midlands beef-chilling plant that was approved in 2019 and 'is still in the courts six years later'.
We appealed in the common good because, chief among other problems, there was a critical question of ­river pollution with a large-scale abattoir and meat processing plant development.
The Environmental ­Protection Agency was directed to give evidence in court regarding the stream that ran through the site. An Bord Pleanála conceded its case as the flaws in its arriving at granting planning permission became evident.
We should all be grateful that the court system upholds the law for the common good. In this, the Banagher Chilling case, the court system allowed equitable consideration of the realities on both sides and facilitated the exposure of more than might otherwise have emerged.
Desmond Kampff, Ballyeighter, Coolfin, Banagher, Co Offaly
McEntee must not turn to usual suspects
Madam — Helen McEntee has announced that she intends to hold a National Convention on Education, calling it the 'largest ever conversation on education since the foundation of the State'.
I am delighted to hear this because I am deeply concerned by the direction being taken by the Department of Education, from the imposition of gender ideology to the introduction of inappropriate content in ­Relationships and Sexuality ­Education (RSE).
However, I am also concerned that those allowed to contribute to this conversation will be the usual suspects, namely the organisations funded by the Government to lobby the Government to put in place the things the Government wants put in place, to create the sort of society the Government wants and the sort of people the ­Government wants in it.
Will the voices of ordinary parents be ignored, as they were during the 'consultation' on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) review of RSE, with the NCCA drawing the conclusion: 'It was evident that a large number of online submissions arose through an organised campaign targeting members of the public.'
Did it not occur to them that parents would not have availed of a template provided by a grassroots organisation that did represent their views if they had felt represented by the mostly government-funded organisations they knew would otherwise dominate the consultation?
E Bolger, Dublin 9
Irish across world feel the pull of final
Madam — Reading Tommy Conlon's fine piece on the great annual migration to Croke Park reminded me of one of my fav­ourite moments ­during the All-Ireland final ('Get ready to witness our great annual migration', July 27).
It's when the commentator throws a shout-out to those tuning in from far-flung places — Sydney, Vancouver, London. A nod, but one that says 'we know you're still with us'.
In the 1970s, I joined a kind Kerryman called Jerry Cronin, a fire captain in Millbrae, California, as he headed off at 6.30am to a house in San Francisco's Sunset District. Forty of us would gather there in the basement to hear a match relayed via telephone: someone in Ireland held the phone to the radio and someone in San Francisco held another to the speaker system. Crude, but strangely heroic.
Tommy Conlon was right to frame this as a great migration. But it's not just a movement across the Irish landscape — it's a deeper, older pull that crosses oceans and time zones. The GAA travels well, and long may it.
Enda Cullen, Tullysaran, Co Armagh
Conlon captured the magic of showdown
Madam — I thought I had devoured all the columns on the All-Ireland football final last Sunday morning in your sports pages.
But once again the best piece was Tommy Conlon in the main section of your paper. It was a pleasant and wonderful surprise to come upon this brill­iant take on the similarity and diversity of the two counties.
His paragraph imagining David Attenborough's take on affairs was right on the mark.
John McCann, Co Donegal
Are Healy-Raes the men of the match?
Madam — At the All-Ireland football final, I could not help thinking about Shane Ross's column ('TDs get €275bn of camouflage for their special deals', July 27) and the joke about Michael Lowry extracting a promise from Micheál Martin that if Tipperary met Cork in an All-Ireland final, Cork would concede.
As the Kingdom ran away with it last Sunday, I started to wonder if the Healy-Rae brothers won a similar arrangement for Kerry in return for their support for the Government.
Thomas Garvey, Claremorris, Co Mayo
Boring football in need of an overhaul
Madam — Despite the new 'improvements' being ­trialled for men's Gaelic football, this year's All-Ireland was still ­boring and a hard watch. With nearly 500 hand passes and the over and back possession game outside the big arc, and players virtually unchallenged as one team kept possession, it was like two boxers refusing to engage. And to pay €100 to watch that.
Instead of tinkering with the rules, is it time to go back to scratch and come up with a ­totally new game of football? Wasn't that what happened at the foundation of the GAA when 'Gaelic' football was invented? After nearly a century-and-a-half, is it not obvious the game that was invented is unsatisfactory and possibly irredeemable?
If it's not possible to come up with a satisfactory new game, maybe the GAA would be better off using the resources devoted to men's Gaelic football to the further promotion of the genuine Irish game of hurling. After all, didn't Kerry win a senior hurling All-Ireland before they won a football one?
Joseph Mackey, Glasson, Co Westmeath
An Post gets a dire O'Connell reception
Madam — An Post released a stamp last week to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Daniel O'Connell's birth. It depicts the Liberator resplendent in a gilded chariot being applauded by crowds in Sackville Street with the GPO in the background. The building opposite has a television aerial on its chimney.
Ireland must have been way ahead of itself to have had TV 200 years ago. ­Maybe later this year when the statue of ­O'Connell is unveiled in ­Leinster House, they could place a ­satellite dish on top to show how much the country has ­progressed since his day.