Irish Anti-war Movement debate Israeli boycott

The Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM) held a debate on Tuesday entitled, ‘Israel: Is Boycott the Answer?’. The debate was held following Minister Michael Martin's expulsion of an Israeli official for the alleged forgery of Irish passports linked with the murder of a Hamas official in Dubai.

The debate was advertised as including Fine Gael TD Billy Timmins and Senator Mark Dreary from the Green Party; neither were present. Speaking at the debate were Joe Costello, Labour TD; Cllr. Richard Boyd Barrett, Chair IAWM; and Mags O’ Brien, Chair Trade Union Friends of Palestine.

Each speaker supported the argument to boycott Israel. Many cited examples of Israel acting as a 'rogue state'. Joe Costello said evidence of this was in the storming of the Freedom Flotilla resulting in the death of Turkish activists, and in the invasion of Gaza in 2009. “Israel feels it can act with impunity because no-one has stood up to in the international community,” Costello said.

While Costello said that he does not support an all-out boycott on Israel he said that there should be sanctions put on products that have come from illegal settlements. He said that the trade of such products is in breach of Article 2 of the Euromed Trade Agreement, concerning human rights, and was being discussed by the Joint Committee on European Affairs.

“Today in the Dáil, the European Affairs Committee is spending all day conducting a series of hearings with representatives of the main protagonists in the Middle East conflict, seeking to determine whether Israel has been in breach of its human rights commitments in the context of the EU – Israel Mediterranean Agreement and therefore whether Israel remains entitled to preferential trade with the 27 EU countries,” he said.

If this was the case, Costello said the issue will be brought before the Dail and subsequently the EU.

O’Brien and Boyd-Barrett both argued the case for a boycott of Israeli goods.

O’Brien, who was involved in the anti-Apartheid movement, said she is calling for a boycott on moral grounds. She said that when she visited Palestine, she witnessed “the ritual humiliation of a people”.

She also criticised the inaction of politicians in defending Gaza. “Michael Martin has been good on the ground but we have to put our money where our mouth is,” she said.

Richard Boyd-Barrett: “Israel always moves the goal posts so that we think in terms of the most recent crisis. Israel is a state built on racism, and such a state has to be shunned in the same way as apartheid in South Africa was shunned.” 

While both O’Brien and Boyd-Barrett, as well as many members of the audience, said that the Irish Government and the international community should impose sanctions on Israel, they said that people could make a difference by boycotting Israeli goods at a local level.

One member of the audience spoke out in support of Israel. “There has been no reference to Hamas, rockets and suicide bombers in this debate,” he said. “Israel is the only functioning liberal democracy in the Middle East. If you support democracy then you should support Israel."

On Tuesday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Michael Martin told the Joint Committee on European Affairs that a boycott or sanctions would be counter-productive.

“No Irish government has supported a policy of boycotts or sanctions against Israel, and it is absolutely clear that there would be no possibility of obtaining an agreement at EU level for such a ban,” he said.