Sir, – Imagine occupying someone else’s land illegally, building a military firing range upon it, and then destroying the homes of vulnerable villagers on the pretence that it’s for their own safety to get away from the firing range.
That's the ludicrous situation portrayed by your European Correspondent Naomi O'Leary ("Israel destroys Irish aid to Palestinian village community", News, February 20th) when she revealed that nearly 70 structures which have been provided to a small Palestinian community have been destroyed or seized over the past three months.
The people of Khirbet Humsah have seen their village repeatedly razed by Israeli forces, in the midst of a global pandemic and during the harsh winter months, since November 3 last.
The most appalling aspect of the latest incident on February 16th is that shelters were seized and dismantled in the presence of diplomats from some of the European countries which actually funded them.
But is it any wonder Israeli officials feel so emboldened that they can destroy donated aid while EU diplomats look on?
The people of the West Bank and human rights organisations have long since lost count of the statements of condemnation from the European Union which have followed land seizures and the building of settlements on land which has been illegally occupied for almost 54 years.
When the Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney had an opportunity to go beyond mere words, he went out of his way to block the Occupied Territories Bill and omit it from the current programme for government, even though it had broad cross-party support and majority backing in both the outgoing Dáil and Seanad.
Not only would this Bill have given a little hope to people in villages like Khirbet Humsah, that their human rights matter and they cannot be evicted at the whims of settler-colonial occupiers, eminent scholars have repeatedly found that it is fully compliant with international law.
But let’s just keep going with the strong words of condemnation. When it comes to standing up for the people of Palestine, they have worked so well since 1967, – Yours, etc,
CIARAN TIERNEY,
Rahoon,
Galway.
A chara, – The destruction by the Israeli state of a Bedouin village in the Jordan Valley, as described in Naomi O’Leary’s excellent piece, is heart-breaking and enraging in equal measure.
Having travelled in the area and knowing how little the Bedouins have to survive on, it is distressing to think of those small children we saw in the accompanying video having no shelter for the second time this winter.
It is not acceptable that the Israeli state can act with such inhumanity. It is also not acceptable that it treats Irish taxpayers’ money with such disregard.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney’s statements are not enough, and it is clear the Israeli government’s ears are deaf to all condemnations.
The Israeli ambassador should be summoned by the Government to account for its actions, and more importantly it is time for the government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill.
Those Palestinian children need action not words. – Is mise,
ORLA O’NEILL,
Kilcullen,
Co Kildare.