TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS took to Instagram today to endorse a letter advocating for a national day of protest over Gaza, and said that he will talk to colleagues on “how to make this happen”. 

Harris was responding to a letter written by Micheal Cush that was published in The Irish Times on Thursday. The letter states that the Irish government has been strong in its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza, but that the government and the people of Ireland are growing frustrated as they feel “helpless” to prevent the ongoing conflict.

“But together, the Government and the people might be much more influential,” Dublin man Cush wrote in his letter. “If the Government were to call a national day of protest, making clear that it was a condemnation of atrocities in Gaza, not of Israel’s right to self-determination or self-defence, the turnout would likely be enormous.”

Today, Harris posted the letter alongside a statement endorsing Cush’s suggestion.

“The people of Ireland stand with the people of Palestine. We stand for human rights, for international law, for a two state solution, for aid to flow, for hostages to be released. We stand for peace. We stand for an end to genocide,” Harris wrote.

“The suggestion for a national day or moment of solidarity made by Michael Cush in the letter above is sensible and a good idea. It could be powerful if many countries did it together. I will now talk to colleagues on how to make this happen.”

The Irish government has been one of the few within Europe that have labelled Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide”. However, it has faced intense criticism from staunch supporters of the ‘Free Palestine’ movement over the Central Bank’s role in facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds, as well as the delay in passing the Occupied Territories Bill.

Internationally, pressure has been ramping up on countries to take decisive action as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens. The territory’s population is facing malnutrition and starvation as a famine creeps closer.

Related Reads

EU tells Israel to 'stop killing people' who are seeking food and aid

'Humanitarian city' for Palestinians would be a 'concentration camp', says former Israeli PM

The UN and NGOs on the ground have decried the severe scarcity facing Gaza’s 2.4 million people, with shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel.

Overnight, at least 25 people were killed by Israeli air strikes and gunshots, according to health officials and the ambulance service today.