Oh, what a tangled web we weave. When Donald Trump made his rather provocative claim that the US would expel all Palestinians from Gaza and turn the region into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’, international condemnation came thick and fast – matched only by the confusion of world leaders.
Did the President of the United States really mean that he wanted to create his very own Mar-a-Gaza, complete with luxurious golf courses and tatty tourist shops, or was there a method to his madness?
Egypt has already insisted that it won’t take a single Palestinian refugee, Jordan has warned the United States that it would consider any such plans an outright act of war. None of the other countries in the region have expressed any interest in welcoming 1.5 million Palestinian refugees.
So if Palestinians are removed from Gaza, and the Arab nations won’t take them, what do you with them? Israeli defence minister Israel Katz was quick to come up with a cunning plan – send them to Ireland. Katz, who has been engaged in a war of words with Dublin ever since the Irish government decided to recognise Palestine as an autonomous state last May, said that he had already instructed the IDF to devise plans for ‘the voluntary departure of Gazan residents.’ He then added, with what one can only assume is a large degree of mischief, that ‘countries such as 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. Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse.’
That’s certainly the case in Dublin, where the prospect of half a million Gazans arriving on Irish shores has caused panic. Having been one of the Palestinians’ chief cheerleaders since the October 7 pogrom, Simon Harris has been forced to backtrack now that the potential ramifications of his stance have become clear.
In a curt message issued by his office in response to the Katz memorandum, a spokesperson said the idea of Ireland housing Palestinian refugees was a ‘distraction’, adding: ‘The priority for Ireland must remain on ensuring the sustainability of the ceasefire, the release of the hostages, a significant surge in humanitarian aid, the rebuilding of Gaza and a political process that delivers a two-state solution. The objective must be that the people of Gaza return safely to their home and comments to the contrary are unhelpful.’
Leaving aside the fact that the possibility of a two-state solution is now gone, this statement raised plenty of eyebrows. Harris and his partners in government know that immigration has become the most toxic issue in Irish politics, inextricably linked as it is to the chronic housing crisis.
There has also been a significant increase in what’s known as ‘compassion fatigue’ as Irish people become weary of being placed at the bottom of the government’s priorities while refugees, Ukrainians and a huge influx of recent Indian immigrants are seen to receive preferential treatment on issues relating to housing and social welfare payments. For example, the once widespread Irish sympathy for Ukrainian refugees quickly dissipated when it emerged that many were returning home for Christmas holidays while still in receipt of generous welfare payments from the Department of Social Protection.
While Harris may bemoan the awkward situation in which he now finds himself, other politicians have been quicker to pick up on the public mood.
Independent Ireland’s Ken O’Flynn spoke for many when he dismissed the idea of Ireland becoming a haven for Palestinian refugees, saying: ‘I don’t believe we have any obligation whatsoever’. O’Flynn is one of a growing number of politicians who think Ireland has been too quick to roll out the welcome mat. He has claimed that: ‘We’ve overdone it and we’ve gilded the lily on obligations in the European Union as it is. I think we have been extremely generous to the detriment of our own people.’
The Cork TD said he thinks it ‘ironic’ that the country was able to find hotel rooms for asylum seekers while Irish people were left without power, heating or water for weeks in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn and said: ‘We’ve done our duty and we’ve overdone it and we continue to overdo it. Ireland has no obligations to Palestinians whatsoever. I’m not pro-Palestine or pro-Israel, I’m pro-Cork and I’m pro-Ireland.’
He was also scathing about the disproportionate attention being afforded the Occupied Territories Bill which would criminalise any Irish person or company who does business with Israeli firms operating in territories deemed occupied under international law, accusing his colleagues in the Dail of: ‘Looking for media attention when they should be looking at the issues affecting their own country rather than desperately wanting to be seen as leaders on the world stage.’
With anti-EU sentiment on the rise in Ireland, and concerns with domestic issues reaching fever pitch, the government may well come to the rue the day they decided to become the world’s moral compass on the Middle East. Meanwhile, Katz and his colleagues in the Knesset will no doubt have a wry chuckle at the curve ball they have just thrown at their enemies in the Dublin administration.
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