The leader of the Sinn Fein party in Northern Ireland, Declan Kearney, said that what is happening in Palestine “reminds us of the historical oppression that the Irish people have been subjected to over centuries as a direct result of English colonialism.”
Kearney added – in exclusive statements to Tel Aviv Tribune Net – that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip is genocide, a moral disaster, and a complete violation of all international laws and norms, and all of this must be put to an end immediately.
He stressed that Western powers are complicit in their support for Israel in the war on the Gaza Strip, but he also said that some of these countries have now modified their positions after 7 months of war.
Tel Aviv Tribune Net met with Kearney on the sidelines of the Israeli apartheid conference hosted by South Africa last week, and in his final statement he reached the formation of an international body to combat racial discrimination and Israeli settlement in all of Palestine.
Declan Kearney is an Irish politician, born in 1964. He is currently Chairman of the national Sinn Féin party, and has been a member of the Legislative Assembly for South Antrim since 2016. He previously served as Executive Minister in Northern Ireland (2020-2022).
And the details of the dialogue..
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What is the Irish position on the aggression against the Palestinian people?
There is a long-standing historical affinity between the peoples of Ireland and Palestine, and when we look into the eyes of the Palestinian people we see the historical oppression to which the Irish people were subjected, we see the experience of colonialism that befell us, and we also see the methods of famine and genocide that were used against the people of Ireland over the centuries as a direct result of English colonialism. .
Therefore, we have a very deep affinity with our Palestinian sisters and brothers, and today there is great public support and momentum for the cause of the Palestinian people across the island of Ireland.
I would like to say to the Palestinian people that Ireland sees you and hears you, and we are with you, and the Irish people will never abandon the Palestinian people.
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How do you see the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip?
Israel’s war in Gaza is genocide and a moral disaster, and there is no respect for the humanity of the Palestinians. What is happening is a war crime on a large scale, and a complete violation of all international laws and norms, and all of this must be put to an end immediately.
Israeli forces must withdraw from the Gaza Strip, international measures must be taken to ensure that necessary humanitarian aid reaches Gaza immediately, and steps must be taken on the basis of a complete, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in order to begin the reconstruction of Gaza.
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How do you view Western support for Israel on the scale of human justice?
The position taken by the major Western powers regarding their support for Israel and their complicity in the war in Gaza is completely unjustified.
But it is important to point out that as the war continued during the past seven months, some Western powers began to modify their positions. Therefore, we should not describe the West as a model that is united and monolithic in its positions. There are now different positions being adopted as a direct response to the scale of the atrocities being committed.
All of us who have the right humanitarian moral and political stance in support of the Palestinian people must work hard to ensure that Western powers are pushed toward taking the right position regarding this war.
This must mean that the funding and arming of the Israeli killing machine stops immediately, and that Western powers stop their complicity in the genocide taking place in Gaza, and act humanely and in accordance with international law.
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What is the importance of the apartheid conference for the Palestinian issue?
The apartheid conference hosted by South Africa is very important, and must become a catalyst for the development of a global campaign against apartheid in support of the Palestinian people and their national and democratic rights.
Its importance lies in the fact that it draws its inspiration from the global campaign against apartheid, which was launched to support the people of South Africa and combat the apartheid regime from which this country suffered. It is very appropriate that we meet here in Johannesburg to draw inspiration from that distinguished campaign, and to bring together many international representatives, to focus on Collectively on how to launch a similar international campaign to support ending apartheid and the Israeli occupation in Palestine.
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Does this conference represent a continuation of the success achieved by South Africa at the International Court of Justice against Israeli aggression?
Certainly, this conference must complement the very courageous legal action taken by the South African government in The Hague through the International Court of Justice, and there must be a set of strategies taken at this time.
This is a watershed moment, and it is necessary to coordinate many international initiatives together to ensure that global pressure is invested on the Israeli government in order to reach an absolute, complete and unconditional ceasefire, and to ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the West Bank.
There must be talks in which all parties participate, and we must ultimately make room for a negotiating table that is inclusive and represents everyone to ensure a lasting peace between Palestine and Israel.
But this must be based on respect for the national and democratic rights of the Palestinian people that achieve a Palestinian state with national sovereignty, and must be supervised by the international community and the leadership of the South African government at this time.
So we need many strategies, and they need to be fully integrated and coordinated, and I think this apartheid conference will be an initiative to help channel that momentum.