Sir, – Adi Ophir Moaz of the Israeli embassy suggests we “dig deeper than Kathy Sheridan’s opinion article” (Letters, September 16th).
Omissions include the illegality of Israel’s seemingly permanent occupation of Palestinian territories and its ongoing construction and expansion of settlements on those territories in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Comparing the expulsion of Palestinian refugees to that of Jews “expelled from Arab countries where they have lived for thousands of years” makes no distinction between expulsion and voluntary immigration. Iraq-born Israeli parliamentarian Ran Cohen asserted that “I came at the behest of Zionism... due to the idea of redemption. Nobody is going to define me as a refugee.”
Ms Moaz asserts that six NGOs “who deal directly with the Palestinians ... have close relations with terror groups. Israel shared this information with the world.”
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Israel shared this claim with the world, a very different proposition, but has refused to make public its supposed “information”. Last November, 11 Israeli human rights organisations stated that “criminalising the work of these prominent Palestinian NGOs is an act of cowardice, characteristic of repressive authoritarian regimes.” In July, nine EU foreign ministries, including those of France, Germany and Ireland, responded that, “No substantial information was received from Israel that would justify reviewing our policy towards the six Palestinian NGOs.”
Finally, Ms Moaz makes the standard claim that “for some Irish activists and commentators Palestine and Israel are a veritable obsession”. This will indeed be the case as long as our Western governments continue to ignore their obligation to oppose Israel’s occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands, instead singling out Israel for trading and other privileges despite its contempt for international law and international humanitarian law. – Yours, etc,
RAYMOND DEANE,
Dublin 1.
Sir, – Kathy Sheridan asks for a show of solidarity from Irish people towards Palestinians (“Illegal annexations are not confined to Ukraine”, Opinion & Analysis, September 14th).
Any chance of a show of solidarity with American native peoples or the Aboriginal Australia? Their land was annexed by Irish settlers. It’s a small world. – Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Firhouse,
Dublin 24.