Táiniste Simon Harris has stated he will work to make a national day of protest for Gaza a reality.
The claim was made in response to a letter written by a Mr. Michael Cush which was published in Thursday's Irish Times.
The letter stated that the Irish government has been strong in its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza, but that the government and the people of Ireland are growing frustrated as they feel ‘helpless’ to prevent the ongoing conflict.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday, Simon Harris said: ‘The people of Ireland stand with the people of Palestine. We stand for human rights, for international law, for a two state solution, for aid to flow, for hostages to be released. We stand for peace. We stand for an end to genocide’.
Michael Cush had also said in his open letter to the newspaper that ‘If the Government were to call a national day of protest, the turnout would likely be enormous’
Today, Simon Harris posted the letter on his social media, alongside a statement endorsing the suggestion made by Michael Cush.
He went on to add: ‘The suggestion for a national day or moment of solidarity made by Michael Cush in the letter above is sensible and a good idea.
‘It could be powerful if many countries did it together. I will now talk to colleagues on how to make this happen.’
The Irish government has been one of the few within Europe that have labelled Israel’s actions in Gaza as ‘genocide’, while internationally the world looks on as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, and the population face the very real threat of starvation as the war continues.
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Earlier this month, Tánaiste Simon Harris said ‘careful consideration’ was given to a number of visa applications from a group of Palestinians, adding that the granting of a visa was a ‘very important legal document.’
The GAA Palestine group were set to arrive in Ireland later in July for a GAA tour.
The group of 47 people included 33 children between the ages of nine and 16 years old.
Ahead of the visit, The Journal revealed that the visa applications for the group had been refused by the Irish Immigration Service due to ‘insufficient documentation.’
152 families in Ireland had signed up to host the group when the were due to arrive on July 18.
Tour organisers admitted they were ‘devastated’ following the ruling, adding that they had included the required information such as detailed itineraries and financial arrangements.
In an official statement released on Instagram the following week, GAA Palestine announced that their planned summer trip to Ireland cannot proceed as it is no longer possible to acquire visas and depart on time.
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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