WORLD NEWS
Why Ireland is so staunchly pro-Palestinian

WHEN the leader of Ireland appeared alongside President Joe Biden on St Patrick’s Day, he spent half of his speech advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza. But before he made his case, he explained why the issue hit so close to home.

“When I travel the world, leaders often ask me why the Irish have such empathy for the Palestinian people,” said Leo Varadkar, the-then Irish taoiseach, or prime minister, who stepped down last week.

“And the answer is simple: We see our history in their eyes — a story of displacement, of dispossession and national identity questioned and denied, forced emigration, discrimination and now hunger.”

If Biden, an Irish-American who loves to celebrate his ancestral homeland, was hoping for some Irish cheer at the event, Varadkar was not the one to deliver.

The taoiseach said he “supports” the president’s push for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, and called for the release of Israeli hostages.

But Varadkar went further in criticising Israel than Biden has, calling on its “bombs to stop”.

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