Sir, – Raymond Deane expresses “little doubt” that Palestinian American writer Susan Abulhawa called Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy “a corrupt, Nazi-promoting Zionist”, purely because of the “contemptuous gesture” of Ukraine’s withdraw from the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) in January 2020, and not because of his Jewishness, something a Palestinian would “never equate with being Zionist” (Letters, March 16th). Ireland, however, is also not a member of CEIRPP; would Ms Abulhawa be justified in denouncing our leadership with the same vitriol? Mr Deane might like to know that Ukraine voted, against Israel’s wishes, in favour (as did Ireland) of the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee’s resolution last November that requests the advice of the International Court of Justice on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, certainly far from a Zionist position. – Yours, etc,
STEPHEN OLIVER MURRAY,
Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4.