Tánaiste must explain omission over Palestinian GAA visas, says Gibney

The Tánaiste is under pressure to explain why he failed to disclose the main reason visas were refused for a Palestinian GAA club’s planned visit to Ireland during the summer, according to Social Democrats spokesperson for sport Sinéad Gibney.

The controversy centres on the refusal of visas for 33 Palestinian children, aged between nine and 16, who were due to travel from the West Bank for a GAA tour of Ireland.

The trip had been months in the planning, with over 100 host families across the country preparing to welcome the young players and their mentors.

However, the Department of Justice turned down the visa applications, sparking widespread disappointment and anger among campaigners.

Deputy Gibney said that when she questioned Tánaiste Simon Harris in the Dáil in July, he claimed the refusals were linked to child protection concerns and Ireland’s rules-based migration system.

However, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act and reported by TheJournal.ie show that the primary reason given by officials was a fear the children and their adult mentors would not return to the West Bank.

An internal Justice Department official stated the visas were refused “principally, the risk of overstay”, with the issue surfacing repeatedly in high-level correspondence.

Gibney said it was unacceptable that this detail was omitted from the Tánaiste’s response in the Dáil.

She added that the Israeli system of control over Palestinian movement was effectively used against the applicants, with officials citing potential “logistical issues” in securing exit and re-entry approval from Israeli authorities as a reason for concern.

Gibney described this as shameful, arguing that an apartheid system that already oppresses Palestinians had been weaponised in the visa process.

“When I questioned the Tánaiste on July 10, he bristled at any suggestion that GAA Palestine were being treated unfairly and insisted the refusals were primarily about child protection,” Gibney said.

“That was not true. The Tánaiste should now explain why he did not give complete information at the time. Was he kept in the dark, or was he giving partial information?”

She said the government must also clarify whether new barriers have been put in place for Palestinian groups seeking to travel to Ireland.

“This is happening at a time when the Tánaiste himself has acknowledged a genocide is underway in Gaza and Israel is illegally annexing the West Bank,” she said.

The Social Democrats TD described the visa refusals as an episode that has left deep hurt among both the Palestinian children who were denied the trip and the Irish families who had volunteered to host them. She said that only full transparency from government would begin to repair the damage caused.