An Independent Ireland TD has said that Ireland does not have “any obligation whatsoever” to take Palestinian refugees.
The remarks were made in response to comments by Israel’s Defence Minister this morning, who said that countries like “Spain, Ireland, Norway and others” are “legally obligated” to take Palestinian asylum seekers, and that it would be “hypocrisy” not to.
ISRAEL’S DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS IRELAND’S “HYPOCRISY WILL BE EXPOSED” IF WE REFUSE PALESTINIAN REFUGEES
Israel Katz made the remarks while directing the Israeli army to devise a plan for the “voluntary departure” of Gaza residents.
His order came after US President Donald Trump declared that the United States intends to assume control of Gaza, relocate its Palestinian population, and turn the area into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
“Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have falsely accused Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow Gazans to enter their territory,” he said, adding: “Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse.”
“I DON’T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY OBLIGATION WHATSOEVER…WE’VE BEEN EXTREMELY GENEROUS, TO THE DETRIMENT OF OUR OWN PEOPLE”
Responding to the remarks, Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn questioned whether the Israeli Defence Minister didn’t have “enough on his plate without without worrying about what Ireland and Irish politicians are doing”.
“I don’t believe we have any obligation whatsoever,” O’Flynn said, adding that he believed Ireland has already been excessively generous in helping asylum seekers from across the world.
“I think we’ve overdone it, and we’ve gilded the lily on obligations in the European Union as it is, and I think we’ve been extremely generous, to the detriment of our own people.”
HOTEL ROOMS FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS, BUT NOT FOR IRISH VICTIMS OF STORM ÉOWYN
The Cork TD said it was “ironic” that the country was able to find hotel rooms quickly for asylum seekers, but not for individuals whose homes were impacted by storm Éowyn.
“So, look, as far as I’m concerned we’ve done our duty, and we’ve done it well, and I believe we’ve overdone it, and have continued to overdo it,” he said.
“Ireland is a neutral country, I don’t think we’ve any obligation to Palestine whatsoever.”
POLITICIANS “SHOULD BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON IN THEIR OWN CONSTITUENCY”
The Deputy said he felt some politicians were raising the issue because they were simply “looking for media attention”, and that they “should be more concerned about what’s going on in their own country, and should be more concerned about what’s going on in their own constituency, than worrying about what’s going on around the world.”
“We’re a neutral country – we should keep our heads down and keep our economy open, and speak to everybody,” he said.
“Our influence in the world is one of business and economics – we’re not the world police, nor, to my mind, should we be engaging like that.”
“I’M NOT PRO-ISRAEL, I’M NOT PRO-PALESTINE – I’M PRO-CORK NORTH CENTRAL”
The Deputy clarified that he is not “pro-Israel” or “pro-Palestine”.
“I’ll be straight with you: I’m not pro-Israel, I’m not pro-Palestine,” he said.
“I’m pro-Cork North Central, and directly after that I’m pro-Ireland. That’s who my priorities are, and those are the people who elected me.
“I haven’t been elected by Palestine, and I haven’t been elected by Israel. I’ve been elected by the people of Cork North Central to articulate their views and their needs, and to reflect the needs of the rest of the people of this country. That’s who I’m interested in representing.”
IRISH LEADERS TRYING TO BE SEEN AS “WORLD LEADERS ON THE INTERNATIONAL FLOOR”
He added that he felt that too many Irish leaders currently wanted “to be seen as world leaders on the international floor.”
“I was brought up with the idea that you do your own job first before you try to do somebody else’s job,” he said, adding that he would “seriously question” whether some politicians in Ireland are concerned with their own job, or whether they are simply aiming for “future employment” in Europe.