GAA Palestine outrage over Department of Justice’s handling of Ireland trip

GAA Palestine says it is “profoundly disappointed and outraged” by the Department of Justice’s refusal to facilitate their upcoming team trip to Ireland scheduled for July 18.

In a statement, released last night, they said that despite their numerous appeals and attempts to engage, the department has dismissed their concerns and provided an appeals process that guarantees the trip cannot proceed within the timeframe required.

“All necessary visas were denied, with some refusals citing a lack of information—yet we have supplied all required documentation, including parental consent forms,” the GAA Palestine statement said.

“We requested the Department of Justice to engage directly with us to verify and provide assurance that all documentation was in order, but our efforts were met with silence.

“Today, the GAA Palestine Executive travelled to Dublin to seek clarity and resolution.

“We met with a secretary from the Department of Justice who initially assured us that a senior officer would meet with us this afternoon.

“However, at 4:38 p.m., we received an email dismissing our concerns and directing us to an appeals process.

“This process, we are told, will take an indefinite amount of time and effectively prevent the team from traveling on 18th July.

“The Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv’s insistence that flights be purchased prior to visa approval has resulted in a loss of €38,000 on non-refundable tickets.

“This reckless requirement, combined with the visa refusals—despite some members having previously travelled to Ireland this year without issue—raises serious questions about transparency and fairness.

“GAA Palestine is bewildered as to why visas have been refused when all evidence suggests no grounds for rejection.

“The dismissive attitude and lack of meaningful engagement from the Department of Justice have left us with no choice but to reconsider our plans.

“In response, we are actively exploring alternative locations for a Summer Camp to ensure our players can participate in meaningful sporting activities.

“We have received overwhelming support from Inter county GAA players eager to join and participate.

“It is deeply disappointing that common sense and fairness have been ignored.

“Our government’s decision to hinder our players’ travel is unjust and unacceptable.

“We call on the Irish authorities to reconsider their stance and facilitate the safe and fair travel of our team.”

GAA Palestine Founder and Chairman said, “We are deeply disheartened and outraged by the Department of Justice’s outright refusal to allow our team to travel to Ireland.

“Despite providing all necessary documentation and engaging in good faith, we have been met with dismissiveness and an appeals process that, in reality, guarantees our trip will not happen.

“This is not just a logistical setback; it’s a blatant disregard for fairness, transparency, and the spirit of sport that unites us all.

“We are also troubled by the fact that other agencies have successfully brought children from various countries to Ireland on similar tours, and their travel has been permitted without issue.

“Yet, it appears that because these children are Palestinian, our government is refusing to allow them to come.

“This inconsistency is deeply concerning and raises questions about the fairness and impartiality of the process.

“The GAA Palestine Executive will remain in Dublin and continue to hold the evidence of our application.

“We are hopeful that in the final 24 hours, a resolution can be found. We genuinely want to come together and work constructively to remedy this situation.

“We are ready and available to engage in meaningful dialogue and to explore any options that might allow our players to participate.

“We want to sincerely thank all the volunteers and supporters who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this possible.

“We are also grateful to the media for bringing as much attention to this issue as they did — your coverage has helped shine a light on the injustice faced by our team.

“Unfortunately, despite these efforts and the support we’ve received, we are only sorry that it did not convince the Department of Justice to allow this trip to proceed.

“Our players deserve better, and we will continue to fight for their right to participate and showcase their talent.

“We remain committed to finding alternative solutions and will not be deterred by this unjust treatment.”