Sinn Fein leaders to boycott White House visit over US Gaza plan
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill says Trump’s comment on the mass expulsion of Palestinians is ‘something I cannot ignore’.
First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill will not attend the annual celebration of Irish culture on March 17 at the White House [File: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
“We are all heartbroken as we witness the suffering of the Palestinian people and the recent comments of the US president around the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza, is something I cannot ignore,” Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said at a news conference in Dublin on Friday.
“The decision not to travel to the White House has not been taken lightly, but it is taken conscious of the responsibility each of us as individuals have to call out injustice.”
Sinn Fein party leader Mary Lou McDonald also addressed the news conference, saying she could not visit Washington “while there was a threat of mass expulsion hanging over the Palestinian people”.
Political leaders from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland usually travel to the US for the annual celebration of Ireland’s national day on March 17.
Trump triggered global outrage earlier this month when he proposed that the US would take over control of the Gaza Strip and permanently move its Palestinian inhabitants elsewhere.
Sinn Fein’s decision not to visit places pressure on Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who is expected to go ahead with meeting Trump at the White House, but has yet to be formally invited.
Ireland has been a vocal critic of Israel’s conduct during the conflict in Gaza and one of the staunchest defenders of the Palestinian cause within the European Union.
Trump appeared to have softened his stance on Friday, saying he would “recommend” his plan for Gaza rather than impose it.
🏗Trump’s Middle East envoy Witkoff mulling WH summit with developers to generate Gaza rebuild plan
Set against the backdrop of large construction cranes, the gathering would focus on where construction would begin and how debris could be cleared with people still living there, the WSJ reported.
Companies would be asked how they would detect bombs and deal with Hamas underground tunnels. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, is believed to be in on the talks.
Trump said that the US will “take over the Gaza Strip” and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” earlier this month. He suggested that Gazans could be relocated to other regional nations – a plan rejected by Arab leaders.
https://t.me/geopolitics_live/44291?single
ReplyDelete🏗Trump’s Middle East envoy Witkoff mulling WH summit with developers to generate Gaza rebuild plan
Set against the backdrop of large construction cranes, the gathering would focus on where construction would begin and how debris could be cleared with people still living there, the WSJ reported.
Companies would be asked how they would detect bombs and deal with Hamas underground tunnels. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, is believed to be in on the talks.
Trump said that the US will “take over the Gaza Strip” and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” earlier this month. He suggested that Gazans could be relocated to other regional nations – a plan rejected by Arab leaders.
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Thank you Ireland. May you 'infect' more of your European peers with this wonderful 'affliction'.
ReplyDeleteTrump would be unwise to ignore Irish American sentiments, who are still partial to Sinn Fenn.
ReplyDelete