CLARE Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe has tendered his resignation from the Ireland-Israel parliamentary friendship committee in protest against Israeli state aggression in the disputed Gaza Strip/West Bank region and in solidarity with those impacted by this action.
“I have contacted the Ceann Comhairle’s office this afternoon to inform him of my intentions to resign from the Ireland-Israel parliamentary friendship committee with immediate effect,” said Deputy Crowe.
“I am doing so in protest against continued Israeli aggression and incursions into disputed parts of the Gaza Strip.
“In recent days, there has been a huge escalation of violence in the Gaza area with rockets being fired by both militant fighters on the Palestinian side and the Israeli Armed Forces.
“I don’t condone what either side is doing but I think the root cause of this latest ignition of violence has been works to create a new Israeli settlement in the disputed land earlier this month.
“The Israeli government has acted very aggressively and their actions have been condemned right around the world and I would consider any sovereign state that conducts itself in that way to not be a ‘friend’ of mine so, on this basis, I am withdrawing from the interparliamentary friendship group.
“These friendship groups have existed for a number of years in the Houses of the Oireachtas where members of the Dáil and Seanad engage regularly with the ambassadors and parliamentarians from various countries. Their purpose is to foster greater friendships between parliaments and it also acts as a form of diplomatic link between political representatives of countries.
“There are already far too many innocent lives lost in this conflict and I think there’s an onus on government and all parliamentarians across the world to step up and condemn Israel’s actions.
“I intend to write to Israel’s Irish ambassador Ophir Kariv to inform him of my decision to tender my resignation from this committee and also to register my upset and anger that his country is undertaking in the Gaza region.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.