Will history record that Ireland did nothing to help?

EDITOR – It is very disappointing that the Irish government has so far refused to support South Africa’s legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ does not have the power to enforce its rulings, and the UN Security Council exercises a veto over the court. It’s therefore certain the US will veto an unfavourable ruling against Israel. Nevertheless, the case is still very important as lawyers will subject Israel to close questioning about the thousands of civilians killed in its bombardment. The court may find Israel guilty of genocide.

The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar – in defending the government’s refusal to support the case – has stated that he is not an expert on the term ‘genocide’. Has he not read the UN Genocide Convention, which defines genocide as, among other things, ‘killing members of an ethnic group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, and deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part’?

It is surely undeniable that Israel’s destruction of Gaza conforms to this definition. Mr Varadkar says it’s his understanding that genocide is an attempt to ‘obliterate a whole people’. In fact, the UN Genocide Convention defines it as ‘acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group’.

The Taoiseach has also stated that he ‘would be a little bit uncomfortable about accusing Israel, a Jewish State, of genocide’.

While we must never forget that six million Jewish people were murdered in the Holocaust, the Zionist project to establish a Jewish state in Palestine – at the expense of those already living there – predates the Holocaust. The first Zionist settlements in Palestine were established in the 1880s.

Since 1948, the state of Israel has violently oppressed Palestinians in the maintenance of that state. Though that State claims now to have been founded, in part, in response to the Holocaust, there is still every reason to level the charge of genocide against Israel in respect of the Palestinians. Israel’s history does not preclude the possibility that it has itself resorted to genocide.

To suggest otherwise is, at best, naive; at worst, absurd. Following the Hamas attack of October 7th, numerous Israeli politicians called for the destruction of Gaza. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, when advocating this, said: ‘It is an entire nation out there that is responsible.’ This was a call for collective punishment of the entire population of Gaza.

That is precisely what has happened, and it surely conforms to the definition of genocide. If the ICJ finds Israel guilty of genocide, history will record that Ireland stood by and did nothing about it.

Dominic Carroll,
Ardfield.

If you can't rent a house, do you care about economics?

EDITOR – A quote from a forgotten man in Irish history, Arthur Griffith – ‘All you say is true, but you cannot move people with a cold thing like the subject of economics.’ You have to suffer the effects of these policies to truly understand. Ireland, at the moment, has record employment and a record corporation tax, but if you are waiting 30 hours in a hospital A&E department or are unable to find a house to rent or buy, you are not moved by statistics.

Michael Hallissey,
Mayfield,
Bandon.

'Safe' Skibbereen crossing is actually deadly dangerous

EDITOR – I feel I must highlight a serious hazard for pedestrians in Skibbereen. I am not speaking of an uneven footpath, a badly-lit roadway or a blind spot. No. I am referring to what I consider to be a very dangerous patch of road, masquerading as a ‘safe’ zone for pedestrians.

I refer to the zebra crossing on Bridge St near Londis. When this ‘safety’ measure was first introduced a few years ago, it was met with fanfare by locals who saw it as a much-needed safety measure on a busy thoroughfare.

I was one of those locals. However, unsuspecting pedestrians have since been risking their lives every time they step up to this crossing.

Drivers from both directions, and weirdly those coming from the ‘town’ side, who have the clearest view from a long distance back, seem to be the worst offenders, regularly failing to stop, or stopping very suddenly and dangerously at the last moment.

Yesterday, in broad daylight, I was just about to step onto the crossing from the Londis footpath, in full view of the driver coming from the ‘town’ side, and with more than enough time and space for them to slow/stop, yet they drove straight through without even an acknowledgement of me, or the crossing.

This morning I was stepping onto the crossing from the opposite side – and yet again a car coming from the ‘town’ side (which had been a good 20 yards back when I had stepped up to the kerb) made no attempt to stop until nearly too late, and actually ended up skidding slightly.

I am sure some will say that I am just a pious pedestrian who steps onto any zebra crossing in the belief that it gives me Moses-like powers to part the traffic. Hardly. I can safely say I don’t ever feel the need to use my body to take on any close-range moving vehicle or test the reactions of the driver.

I have seen similar scenarios playing out for countless other pedestrians at this particular crossing. And please note my use of ‘particular’ here.

Of the seven (I think) crossings around town, this particular one seems to be invisible to, or worse still, simply ignored by drivers. I am now contemplating telling my own children to avoid this ‘safe’ crossing because it is in fact, deadly dangerous.

A O’Driscoll,
Skibbereen.

Late, late start to Oldies and Irish a real turn-off

EDITOR – Shock, horror, dismay, is how I would describe the feelings in many Cork households last Sunday morning. Cork people in general like their routine.

My Sunday morning routine is 8am to 10am: The Arts House with Elmarie Maugh and Connor Tallon. This followed by Oldies and Irish with Derry O’Callaghan from 10am to 2pm.

There are three radios switched on in our house each Sunday morning – so nothing is missed from either show. My ‘poor’ wife was struggling to wake up at 10.05 when she heard some strange music nothing like what she expected.

I understand from many others I have met since that they also are unhappy. While I have sympathy for the presenter of the ‘new’ programme, and feel he was very badly treated by his previous employer, I have never listened to his show in the past and will not listen in the future.

So if 96fm persists, my radios will be switched off between 10am and midday on Sunday.

Michael A Moriarty,
Rochestown.