Sir, – Séamus McKenna writes that Naomi O’Leary “is wide of the mark if she believes the whole of Ireland’s attitude to Ursula von der Leyen is reflected in the opinions of one professor in Maynooth” (Letters, December 15th).
Mr McKenna is apparently unaware that such opinions were also expressed by President Michael D Higgins, and – if social media are credible – were widely endorsed by Irish people.
Mr McKenna feels that Dr von der Leyen’s endorsement of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza must be contextualised (hence justified, apparently) because “as a German she... [is] extremely sensitive of the fate of Israel because of the terrible things done to the Jewish population of Europe by [her] forebears”.
However, Dr von der Leyen claimed to speak, not for Germany, but for “Europe”. This hubris is reminiscent of German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock’s claim in New York last year that “it is for my country within the European Union to help lead the way” to a “partnership in leadership” with the US. Apparently the views of other EU countries are not to be consulted.
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Furthermore, German sensitivity towards the rogue state of Israel must be balanced against its insensitivity towards progressive Jews within its own borders.
A recent “open letter from a group of Jewish artists, writers, and scholars in Germany” instanced their fear of “the prevailing atmosphere of racism and xenophobia in Germany, hand in hand with a constraining and paternalistic philo-Semitism”.
It concluded: “If this is an attempt to atone for German history, its effect is to risk repeating it.”
It would appear that Mr McKenna’s benign view of Dr von der Leyen’s sensitivity is in need of some revision. – Yours, etc,
RAYMOND DEANE,
Dublin 7.