How the Irish view the Israel-Palestinian conflict

As an Irish Republican and a Catholic I can tell you there is plenty of support for Israel throughout the country from moderate Republicans, it`s just that the anti-Israeli crowd shout the loudest.

I spend a lot of time in Ireland. I would say that there is not much anti-Semitism in Ireland and very few Jews. However, there is widespread loathing of the Israeli government because of their perceived cruelty towards the Palestinians and their history of stealing and settling on the Palestinian land in the past 50 years. Because Ireland has no history of anti-Semitism, it is a good yardstick for the success of Israeli PR. The effect has been a disaster for Israel and Israel receives only scorn and outrage at the hands of the Irish in general. Most people feel that Israel has no interest in a 2-state peace solution and is only interested in stealing as much of Palestine as possible and driving away and terrorizing the Palestinian people. The recent slaughter and maiming of the thousands of Gaza residents turned the Irish totally against Israel for ever it seems.

A pity the allegances are liek that, as historically, the parallels between the Jews and Irish are greater. Both have ancient cultures, bith were oppressed on their own land at the beginning, the Irish also have a dispora, from the potato famine, and just as Jews reestablished their independence and were deneied for 17 years sovereignity over the rest of the land of Israel, so Ireland only had independence over 3/4 of the island, and await the reunification of the rest. The Arabs arrived in the land after the Jews had been driven out, just like the Protestants took over Irish land in Norhtern Ireland. And the Irish dream of a reunified Ireland is like the Israeli dream of the Greater Land of Israel,.

The question should not be whether the Irish are pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli, but whether or not they are pro-justice. Power is firmly in the hands of Israel, whence justice is denied to Palestinians. One does not need to be "pro-Palestinian" to observe this simple fact.