Taoiseach must “get off fence” on Palestine, say Soc Dems

Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s comments on Palestine at the UN General Assembly ring hollow at home when his government continues to refuse Gazan students visas to study in Ireland, according to Social Democrats Senator Patricia Stephenson.

Stephenson, who serves as the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson, noted that while the Taoiseach addressed the UN in New York, he said that the international community has “failed Palestine” and commented that when the full truth of the horrors which have happened in Gaza are revealed it will “shame the world”.

Senator Stephenson said that the Taoiseach’s words ring hollow when compared to how his government treats the issue of Gaza back in Dublin.

“It is sheer hypocrisy from a man who ensured that the Occupied Territories Bill was gutted beyond recognition, and whose government continues to ensure that a handful of Gazan students are denied life-changing opportunities to live and study in Ireland,” she said.

Senator Stephenson said, “it is frustrating to see the Irish government be lauded for their strong stance in support for Palestine on the international stage, but not apply those same sentiments at home. This is particularly notable given the Department of Justice has recently declined visas for students from Gaza to study in Ireland.”

Last month, it emerged that 31 out of the 59 Gazan students awarded scholarships to study in Ireland from September had their visa applications blocked by the Department of Justice.

Part of the reason for this refusal was that students were unable to source some original documents.

Senator Stephenson said there had been no recognition of the fact that Gaza has “endured a genocide in which nearly every building has been razed to the ground” and more than 70,000 people killed by the Israeli military.

“It’s unimaginably cruel to give people who have lived through a genocide a semblance of hope for a brighter future, only for that to be shattered by a Government which claims to stand with Palestinians,” she said.

“How can the Taoiseach claim to stand in solidarity with a people who are currently subject to ethnic cleansing in their home while his government simultaneously blocks a small group of them from educational opportunities which have been granted by our own third-level institutions?”

“It’s time for the government to pick a side and end this rampant hypocrisy. Solidarity is not genuine when it is only expressed in one’s best interests. The Department of Justice must re-evaluate the Gazan students’ visas, and the Taoiseach must get off of the fence he has long been sat on,” the Soc Dems Senator said.