This is important because we have recently recognised Palestine as a state, and should accommodate them with an embassy.

For the past 7 months, the state of Israel has brought death and unimaginable destruction upon the civilian population of Gaza in a stark escalation of 75 years of colonial violence. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, 14,500 of them children and 9,560 women. More than 79,000 people have been injured. 1.7 million people have been forcibly displaced, many of them multiple times. Famine is imminent - half of Gaza’s population is facing food insecurity due to the intense bombardment of the Gaza strip and the severe limitations being placed on humanitarian access by Israel. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in February,1 in 6 children under the age of 2 was acutely malnourished. An interim damage assessment by the World Bank, EU, and the UN, has estimated the total cost of damages in the Gaza strip at 18.5 billion US dollars and has found that 60% of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. The WHO conducted a preliminary assessment of the extent of destruction wrought on Al-Shifa hospital during an Israeli siege on the facility. The WHO have described the hospital as “an empty shell” - most of the buildings are destroyed, the medical equipment is unusable and no patients remain. Israel’s latest bombardments over the last 7 months have further intensified the occupational deprivation and injustice experienced by Palestinians by denying them access to the safety and opportunity to engage in even the most basic of essential occupations. Despite ongoing advocacy by Occupational Therapists worldwide, (Arab Occupational Regional Group, Occupational Therapists and Scientists against Occupation, Palestinian Justice is Occupational Justice) the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) have remained silent on these violations of human rights and international law, and have failed to call for a ceasefire. WFOT issued a tweet on November 6th 2023, stating that their “fundamental beliefs mean that [they] are unable to take positions on political agendas of any nation” (WFOT 2023). This stance is inconsistent with the federation’s own commitment that “WFOT, its Member Organisations, occupational therapists, assistants, and students are obligated to support occupational justice and human rights. WFOT affirms its commitment to challenge and address systemic racism and continue to advocate for people, communities, and societies.”  The inadequacy of WFOT’s stance on Gaza however goes beyond its failure to call for a ceasefire, and extends to its stance on the fraught international status of the Occupational Therapy degree program currently being taught in Ariel University, in the settlement of Ariel in the Occupied West Bank. The consensus of the international community is that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. This view has been upheld in the International Court of Justice and by repeated resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. Ariel University therefore must be regarded as having been illegally constructed on stolen Palestinian land. The university is currently subject to an academic boycott by the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement. Despite this international legal consensus, the World Federation only last year took the decision to accredit the degree programme at Ariel University. WFOT has incorrectly listed this programme on its website as located in “Israel”, a designation that further normalises illegal settlement. This is unacceptable from a professional organisation that ostensibly takes an anti-racist, human rights based approach.  As Occupational Therapists, we have an ethical duty to fight for occupational justice for all people and to do what we can to ensure that all people have equal access and opportunity to engage in occupations of necessity, obligation, and choice. 

Dear all,  I hope you are all in good health.  As you all know, Irish Society of International Doctors (ISID) and Association of Irish Pakistani Physicians and Surgeons (AIPPS) who represent 1000's of international doctors and their families have been engaging and working with stakeholders on visa delays for the past year or so to benefit everyone especially healthcare workers in Ireland. All skilled professionals living in Ireland are facing serious delays in processing for their families visas but some nationalities are facing more delays than others with waiting time beyond one year before their applications are being processed.  This has negatively impacted their mental health and emotional well being and in turn might be worsening the staffing crisis and patient care. Foreign healthcare workers constitute more than 60% of the Irish health system and are the backbone of this system. They deserve to be treated fairly and to have their families with them in Ireland especially when their jobs are so demanding.  A recent survey conducted by us revealed that certain countries (including Pakistan) have: 1) High visa rejection rate for family members i.e. spouse, children, parents etc  2) Long delays in application processing - more than one  year for even visit visas  3) Vague and generic copy paste refusal reasons    4) Processing time for appeals is one year plus  5) Poor Communication: there is a serious element of broken communication with applicants and the Department.  Lastly, we urge Pakistani Ambassadorin Ireland to take up and investigate this issue with the Irish Consulate in Karachi as the community is not happy with their treatment; through an audit of applicants being rejected as THERE IS NO COMPLAINT CELL THAT EXISTS WHERE THESE ISSUES AND UNFAIR TREATMENT CAN BE RAISED. Please sign this petition and spread the word to resolve this grave issue. #FastTrackFamilyVisa Many thanks. Dr Liqa Rehman ||| Mr Nauman Nabi President ,ISID ||| President AIPPS G.Secretary, AIPPS ||| Executive, ISID

For a long time the Irish police did not recognize racism as a form of discrimination. Meaning that the state was not aware or have any official record of the extent of racism in the country. everyday people from migrant backgrounds face prejudice in their workplace, homes, schools and colleges. It is important that institutional and State bodies implement adequate policies and procedures to ensure that racism is combated within Ireland. Without proper support from their institutions people of color and people of migrant backgrounds will continue to be impacted by discrimination and institutional racism throughout their daily lives.

At this stage in the genocide it is unbelievable that Ireland has a powerful bill, that could help the people of Palestine, waiting in the wings to be enacted since 2018. It took immense effort from many political, academic and legal minds to get the bill to its present position in the legislative process. There is no legal excuse for stalling it any longer. To quote Sen. Frances Black “... it’s not a legal issue, it’s a question of political will. The weight of legal advice makes it clear that we can pursue this if we’re willing to be brave about it – we need to stand up and show leadership”. (Irish times, 13 Jun 2020.) Something has to begin the process of turning the tide on the genocide in Palestine, especially Gaza. The OTB has been identified by multiple organisations nationally and internationally as the single most important and effective action that Ireland as a nation can take, at this time in October 2024.  Enacting the OTB can without doubt have a ripple effect throughout the world. Let's throw the pebble in the ocean of support for Palestine and see it do the work it was always intended to achieve.

Citibank, who are facilitating the supply of billions of pounds of Israeli weapons and enabling the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians, [1] are also one of the main sponsors of this year's Belfast Pride Festival - the biggest LGBTQIA+ event in the city. This is pinkwashing at its very worst - using Belfast Pride and our LGBTQIA+ community to distract from their brutal business practices. Not only are they supporting weapons deals, Citibank is also funding several fossil fuel companies to drill for gas off Gaza, [3] - as thousands of innocent people are being massacred, and famine looms [4] as a result of Israel’s brutal siege. Israel has no right to grant licenses to companies to drill for oil or gas in the Palestinian territory. Fossil fuels have always been tied up with war and to extract oil and gas from a region whose population are being starved to death and brutally murdered, is a war crime. We demand that Belfast Pride Festival drops Citibank as one of its main sponsors! [1] https://www.bankingonsolidarity.org/citibank-and-palestinians-a-cruel-status-quo/ [2] https://fossilfreeciti.org/ [3] https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/3/6/israel-is-pillaging-not-just-gazas-cities-but-also-its-waters [4] https://www.politico.eu/article/famine-is-imminent-gaza-un-food-israel-hamas-hunger/

We cannot allow a country that is deliberately killing aid workers and journalists, slaughtering tens of thousands of civilians, destroying hospitals, starving people, to sing alongside us. Allowing Israel to take part in the Eurovision would send an implicit message to the world that breaking international humanitarian law over and over again is acceptable.

Having a large mural of US president Joe Biden in Ballina reflects very badly on the people of Ballina, Mayo and Ireland who hold very different views to Joe regarding the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

*This description is extracted from a broader counter-statement endorsed by multiple societies against an email sent by Maynooth University, which can be read here https://publuu.com/flip-book/392331/889456 * I am a student/staff of Maynooth University and you do not have my support in your statement regarding the Israeli Apartheid of Palestine. It is disgraceful to email the community 3 days after the International Court of Justice's decision that there was a plausible case for Israel to answer and ordering it to take action to "prevent genocide". The fact of the matter is that choosing neutrality instead of taking a stance against Israel's ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people is enabling a continued violation of human rights. Your statement was released within the minute following your call for submissions regarding Social Justice Week. It is deeply hypocritical to discuss the concept of peace but choose not to actively support the ceasefire in your position of influence. I compare your actions to Maynooth University's statement condemning the invasion of Ukraine only one day after Russian launched their military campaign. Thus, your statement is a clear demonstration of Maynooth University's endorsement of the current atrocities being committed by the Israeli government. over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled and over 6,000 Palestinians were killed as part of an ethnic cleansing decades before the 7th of October . To be pro-Palestinian is not ‘anti-Semitic’ but critical of Israel’s state-sponsored terrorism in pursuit of a Jewish homeland in the Middle East. Indeed, such claim is an effort to silence teachings about the Palestine cause. This is not an equal-sided conflict but an anti-colonial war which an Irish university should viscerally understand the impact of. Since the 7th of October, all universities in Gaza have been annihilated and the Israeli-occupied West Bank is being illegally struck by drones. Moreover, since the 7th of October, over 25,000 Palestinian people have been murdered by Israel; thousand-year-old native olive trees of Bethlehem have been uprooted; and over 1.5 million Palestinians have been displaced across the Gaza strip. In other words, the number of students and staff currently attending Maynooth has been killed twice. Do not misunderstand, I am appalled by the 7th of October attack. Yet, I also acknowledge that Hamas was financially supported by the Israeli military and politicians for years and mere months prior to the 7th of October to destabilise Palestinian democracy. The Israeli government has been creating propaganda targeting the Western audience to dismiss decades of the Palestinian genocide as a 'right to defend itself’ . Vice-President, your EDI office and the executives have failed to showcase the critical analysis about global humanitarian issues that this academic institution aims to foster in our students and Staff. Although your email claimed to portray the university as neutral, this is far from the truth due to the continuation of the university’s connection with companies profiting from this genocide, such as Starbucks and Intel, with the latter just recently donating a grant of €150,000 to the building of a new robotics lab on campus. Intel operates four development and production sites in Israel, including a manufacturing plant 42km from the Gaza strip. Amid the genocide, Intel announced its plan to expand the Kiryat gat plant, with Netanahu saying it was the largest investment ever in Israel, and the Israeli Finance minister stating “This investment, at a time when Israel wages war against utter wickedness, a war in which good must defeat evil, is an investment in the right and righteous values that spell progress for humanity,”. The university must divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, boycott products supporting Israel and pressure the Irish government to demand an internationally-enforced ceasefire now. As Desmond Tutu famously said ‘If you are neutral in situations of injustice have chosen the side of the oppressor’.

The annual White House visit is enormously symbolic. For Irish Politicians to boycott the Biden Administration, it could weaken America's continuing support for Israel. It would also send ripples across the world and further highlight the plight of the Palestinian people on a global stage. It sends a signal that Ireland and the vast majority of the people in this country, says no to this genocide, opposes what is happening and opposes US support for it. It's important that the government and all politicians say they will not be going to shake hands with Joe Biden and other members of the US administration. Exact Wording of the motions to be proposed on Monday 12th - 1) Carlow Council agrees apartheid Israel is engaged in a genocide in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, including over 10,000 children. Many more have been seriously injured and traumatised, almost 2 million people are displaced and face a catastrophic humanitarian crisis with famine conditions. Carlow Council commends the mass movement that has erupted across Ireland against the violence in recent months. 2) Carlow Council notes that Israel's murderous campaign of collective punishment is highly dependent on the military, financial and political support of Joe Biden and the US government in particular. This council also notes the Biden Administration has opposed calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, and that Biden has personally bypassed Congress to transfer arms to Israel during the genocidal war that will cause widespread death and suffering in Gaza. Therefore this council will write to the Irish Taoiseach and all political parties, calling on them not to attend St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the White House, nor to meet with President Joe Biden or any representative of his administration as part of the St Patrick’s Day events. Accordingly, members of this Council expected to travel to the U.S. will instead invite Irish-American associations with links to Carlow to travel to Carlow to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Israeli military action in Gaza and the ongoing conflict in the Occupied West Bank have led to appalling suffering and loss of life for Palestinians and to a deteriorating humanitarian situation, which is unprecedented.  Israel has disregarded all calls for a ceasefire and for allowing adequate delivery of humanitarian aid. Israeli military have caused the death of over 35,000 people, the destruction of 80% of civilian building and infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, water, sanitation and energy infrastructure.  Senior politicians in the Israeli government have openly declared their intention to continue their military action, which is a breach of international law and which has been recognised as amounting to genocide by many international experts.  In addition to the unspeakable level of suffering in Gaza, the oppression and illegal treatment of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories is well documented. In the world of sport, it is undeniable that Palestinian athletes may at this time not be in a position to participate in any sporting events: the killing, injuries, and maiming of people, the destruction of houses, displacement of the vast majority of the Gazan population, lack of nutrition, water and sanitation, the appalling state of healthcare facilities, would make it next to impossible to even consider participation in sport at any level. For this reason, we believe that there are grounds to act on Israel’s disregard for human rights of Palestinians, by urgently implementing measures in respect of Israel’s participation in international sporting events. 1) We call on Sport Ireland to condemn the invasion and ongoing military action in Gaza, which is a blatant violation of international law, as well as of the Olympic Charter; 2) We call on Sport Ireland to request that the International Olympic Committee take action in relation to Israeli’s actions in Gaza, and implement the following measures:  - Athletes with an Israeli passport may not be considered for participation in the Olympic Games Paris 2024;  - IOC to issue recommendations to all Sporting Federations in relation to Israel’s participation in international sporting events, including the following: a) That no international sports events be organised in Israel; b) That no Israeli flag, anthems or other national symbols whatsoever should be displayed at any international sports events; c) That no Israeli government or state officials should be accredited for or invited to any international sports events; d) That the Olympic Committee of Israel is no longer entitled to operate as a National Olympic Committee, as defined in the Olympic Charter, and cannot receive any funding from the Olympic Movement. As individuals involved in Irish sport, we have a moral obligation to take action in relation to the ongoing violation of human rights of the Palestinian people. We therefore call on Sport Ireland to act in line with its values and to use its role within the international sporting community to try and put a stop to this destruction and restore humanity.

Although Israel has tried to suppress and discredit information leaving Gaza, including by murdering at least 134 journalists, thanks to the courage and determination of those men and women we can see the scale of brutality and destruction being wrought in Gaza through social media. It is the duty of RTÉ as Ireland's national broadcaster to tell the truth about what is happening in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. By suppressing information, by playing into Israeli narratives and ignoring credible reports of war crimes, RTÉ becomes complicit. The Irish people have a right to know about those crimes, because they are being funded and supported by countries with which we enjoy the closest of cultural and economic relations. Moreover, Israel itself is one of Ireland's largest trading partners (in 2022 alone, Ireland imported goods valued at €5 billion from Israel).