EDITOR – The ceasefire is in effect. Some 90 Palestinian political prisoners have been freed. No matter what happens next, the unbreakable spirit of Palestinian resistance and steadfastness will live on forever.
The colonial fragmentation of Palestine and Palestinians is a strategy.
Gaza has been under total blockade for 16 years. However, for the past 16 months Israel has committed one of the most atrocious genocides in history, carrying out massacres, annihilating entire families, forcibly displacing 90% of the population, using starvation as a weapon of war, and destroying 65% of homes and infrastructure, along with all universities, schools, and hospitals.
To date, Israel has killed almost 47,000 Palestinians, including more than 20,000 children, and injured over 110,000. The true death toll in Gaza could well surpass 200,000 Palestinians.
Keep in mind the settler colonial interest, now that a ceasefire is in place, with an aftermath of mass expulsion and a further plan for ethnic cleansing.
In the West Bank, Palestinians are confronting entrenched annexation,with or without ceasefire, with more than 8,000 acres of land confiscated for Jewish-only settlements.
More than 6,635 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced due to demolitions and settler violence. Military raids have escalated, particularly in refugee camps, with over 824 Palestinians killed across the West Bank since October 2023.
Over 7,000 Palestinian political prisoners remain in Israeli jails and many residents in Gaza have been forcibly disappeared, enduring systemic torture and brutal conditions.
Israel has repeatedly said that its strategy is to ‘reshape the Middle East’. In Lebanon, Israel’s military invasion has claimed more than 3,189 lives, injured 14,078, and forcibly displaced more than 1.2m people. Exploiting the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has deepened its occupation into Syrian territory.
Here in Ireland, it is vital that the new Irish government will now enact the Occupied Territories Bill, enact the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill, enact the Arms Embargo Bill, end the use of Shannon by the US military, and the use of Irish airspace to transport weaponry to Israel, and stop the Central Bank from selling Israeli bonds which support its aggression.
Daniel Teegan,
Union Hall.
Help Trócaire continue to help those in need
EDITOR – This past year has been one in which millions of people have had their lives devastated by conflict and the effects of climate change – two of the main drivers of poverty and hunger in the world today.
Conflict in places like Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, and Sudan has resulted in death and destruction. Children have been the most vulnerable and disproportionally affected. In Gaza over 13,000 children have lost their lives since October last year. More than 400,000 children were forced from their homes in Lebanon due to the recent fighting. Over 13 million children in Sudan are in need of urgent humanitarian aid because of the ongoing conflict.
Destroyed homes, lost parents, trauma that will take generations to recover from – all things that no child should have to endure. Children caught up in conflict are the focus of our Christmas appeal.
The effects of climate change have also continued to have a disastrous impact on millions across the Global South. In the countries where Trócaire works, farming families are continuing to see their livelihoods wiped out because of droughts, floods, and pestilence caused by climate change. Trócaire will continue to fight against climate injustice and provide support to those who have done least to contribute to the climate catastrophe but who suffer most from its effects.
We must also acknowledge the positive impact that has been achieved in 2024 by the resilient and courageous communities and local partner agencies that Trócaire works with. Together, we have achieved much, including emergency food aid and healthcare in camps in Sudan; counselling supports to traumatised children in Gaza and innovations in farming techniques and in solar power generation in Malawi and Sierra Leone.
All of this was possible because of the generosity of the people of Co Cork. Together we have saved countless lives. Our supporters continue to enable Trócaire’s work for global justice and long-term, sustainable and positive change. This is done despite many here at home facing their own challenges and adversity. We are hugely grateful for this unwavering support and hope we can continue to work together for a just world in 2025.
Caoimhe de Barra,
CEO Trócaire,
Co Kildare.
Protect the Triple Lock and keep Ireland neutral
EDITOR – We in Ireland pride ourselves on being a neutral country. In a recent poll by ‘Ireland Thinks’, 75% of those surveyed want Ireland to remain neutral. Our neutrality is under threat by political leaders who are trying to remove the ‘Triple Lock’.
The Triple Lock means our troops can only be sent overseas if formally approved by the government, agreed by the Dáil, and thirdly, with a UN mandate, usually given for peacekeeping and humanitarian missions.
The Triple Lock was an assurance given to us in the Nice and Lisbon Treaties to safeguard Irish neutrality.
Its removal would put us on a path to participating in EU and Nato military activities and to spending millions on military hardware instead of much-needed areas like housing and health.
I am calling on all members of the next government to protect the Triple Lock, keep Ireland neutral, and expand our much-respected international role as peace negotiators and peacekeepers.
Jacinta French,
Skibbereen.
