SADAKA Ireland Palestine Solidarity Alliance for Palestinian Justice and Rights

Announcements

Palestinian Church Leaders Tour of Ireland

From 10th - 16th April 2013, Sadaka hosted a visit of eminent Christian church leaders from Palestine. The purpose of the visit was to encouarge endorsement of Kairos Palestine by the Irish Christian churches. Kairos Palestine is the Christian Palestinians’ declaration to the world about what is happening in Palestine.

Photos from the tour Press Releases

	Palestinian leaders are welcomed to Galway by Deputy Mayor, Frank Fahy.
	The Palestinian delegation along with Board members of Sadaka meet with senior officicals in the Dept. of Foreign Affairs
	The Palestinian Christian leaders meet with Imam Sheikh Hussein Halawa and Dr. Ali Selim senior member of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland

"In this historic document (Kairos), we Palestinian Christians declare that the military occupation of our land is a sin against God and humanity, and that any theology that legitimizes the occupation is far from Christian teachings because true Christian theology is a theology of love and solidarity with the oppressed, a call to justice and equality among peoples."

The Kairos document requests the international community to stand by the Palestinian people who have faced oppression, displacement, suffering and apartheid for more than six decades.

Palestine recognised as a state by the UN

Palestine won an historic victory in the UN on 29 November 2012, when the General Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority – 138 in favour to 9 against, with 41 abstentions – to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN to “non-member observer State” status, in the face of bitter opposition from Israel and the US.

	The defeat for Israel and the US was even worse than it appears at first glance because only 3 significant states (Canada, Czech Republic and Panama) sided with the US and Israel in rejecting the proposition. The other 4 votes against came from Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, and Palau, all tiny south Pacific island states that are dependent on the US.
	More significant still, Israel has lost more ground in Europe. Only one EU state (Czech Republic) backed Israel, 14 (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden) voted to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN, and the other 12 abstained.

Sadaka welcomes Ireland’s support for the upgrade, which Foreign Minister, Eamon Gilmore, promised in his speech to the UN General Assembly in September 2011.

Text of the resolution (A/RES/67/19) passed by the General Assembly with a complete record of the voting and the UN press release on the proceedings.

Speech to General Assembly by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: Text and Video

Background information on this issue and the possible consequences of the positive vote can be found in the Sadaka Briefing 'The Palestinian UN initiative'.

Possible consequences
What will observer rights at the UN as a “non-member state” mean in practice for Palestinians? At the UN itself, there will be very little change.

As far back as 1974, the UN General Assembly recognised the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as “the representative of the Palestinian people” and granted it observer rights at the UN. At present, Palestine has a permanent mission at the UN with observer rights, but as a liberation movement, not as a state.

Becoming a "non-member state" recognised by the UN means that Palestinians will continue to have observer status but now as a state, with a territory – the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip – recognised by the UN. It will be a firm statement from the nations of the world that there should be a Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 – and that Israel should withdraw to allow one to be established.

Being a “non-member state” will allow Palestine to apply for membership of a wide variety of international bodies. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been widely mentioned in this context, with the possibility that Israelis could be prosecuted by the ICC for actions in the occupied territories, in particular, for planting Jewish settlers which is war crime under Article 8.2(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute of the Court.

Palestine's full membership of UNESCO

On 31 October 2011, Palestine was admitted to full membership of UNESCO and on Tuesday 13th December, the Palestinian flag was raised at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The UNESCO initiative is part of the ongoing campaign by the Palestinian leadership to widen the scope and nature of international recognition of a Palestinian state. The Sadaka briefing Palestine wins UNESCO membership provides further information on the extensive consequences of UNESCO membership.

Ireland’s call to support UN membership for Palestine – was an advert placed in the Irish Times by Sadaka on Sat 17th September 2011 signed by over 150 signatories from all walks of life in Ireland including leading figures from the political, trade union, academic and arts and cultural communities.

This Petition to Irish Government on UN bid from academic community was signed by 100 members of the world of academia (coordinated and compiled by Prof John Kelly).

ICTU's call on the Irish Government to back UN recognition of Palestine. A 2011 letter from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) which called on the Irish Government to support the Palestinian application.

A visit from a senior Palestinian negotiator, Dr. Nabil ShaathOverview: Dr. Nabil Shaath is Commissioner of International Relations with Fatah and is a senior PLO and Palestinian Authority negotiator. He has been a member of the Central Committee of Fatah since 1989. Today, he is Head of the Political Committee of its General Congress and editor of its Political Programme. From 1995 to 2005, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Planning and International Co-operation, Minister of Information and from 2005 to 2006, Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister. (Click for more, hosted by Sadaka in July 2011, to lobby support for Palestinian UN membership.

	Senior Palestinian negotiator Dr. Nabil Shaath meeting the Irish Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore.
	Dr. Nabil Shaath with Mr. Micheál Martin TD, Leader of Fianna Fáil, (the main opposition party) and former Minister for Foreign Affairs.
	Dr. Nabil Shaath and Mr. Gerry Adams TD, President of Sinn Fein, the second largest opposition party.
	The former Palestinian Foreign Minister shaking hands with Pat Breen TD, Fine Gael (the largest Government party), the Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Please click here for a report of Dr. Shaath's tour

'American Hero'
(In memory of Rachel Corrie)
by Brian Maguire

Contemporary Irish artist, Brian Maguire has donated 40 limited edition prints of ‘American Hero’ (In memory of Rachel Corrie), to Sadaka.

Click here for more information

About us

Sadaka supports a peaceful settlement in Palestine/Israel based on the principles of democracy and justice, be that in two states or in one state. We maintain an independent position on internal politics within Palestine, favouring neither Fatah, Hamas nor any other Palestinian political organisation.

Sadaka - the Ireland Palestine Alliance
PO BOX 12295
Dublin 2
Ireland

You can email us at info@sadaka.ie

Palestinian land 1946-2010

More information on Palestinian Land Loss

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Ireland supports EU ban on settlement goods

The Irish Government is in favour of banning the importation of settlement goods into Ireland, and the EU as a whole. It adopted this policy in August 2011 (see Sadaka Briefing 'Ireland supports EU ban on settlement goods'.

In May 2012, the EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted a set of conclusions on Israel/Palestine, which were highly critical of Israel’s settlement building and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Area C in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, actions which the Council said were threatening to make a two-state solution difficult or impossible to achieve.

Irish Foreign Minister, Eamon Gilmore, has suggested that, if matters continue to deteriorate in Area C and East Jerusalem, the EU should consider imposing a ban on settlement goods.
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recent sadaka publications

	Palestinian state recognised by UNOverview: On 29 November 2012, Palestine won an historic victory at the UN when the General Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority – 138 in favour to 9 against, with 41 abstentions – to recognise Palestine as a state in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, the territories occupied by Israel since 1967. It has now got observer rights as a “non-member state” at the UN and can apply for membership of UN associated bodies. It may also become a party to the International Criminal Court and individuals responsible for crimes against humanity or war crimes in the occupied territories may be indicted and tried by the Court. (Click now to download the briefing) (December 2012, PDF 136 kB)
	Gaza: Why did 3,000 Palestinians have to die?Overview: Ceasefire arrangements, brokered by Egyptian intelligence, brought the latest Israeli military assault on Gaza to an end on 21 November 2012. These arrangements are essentially the same as those brokered by Egyptian intelligence over four years ago in June 2008, as a result of which southern Israel was almost entirely free from firing out of Gaza for the following four and a half months. If Israel had wished, these ceasefire arrangements – and the peace and quiet they brought to southern Israel – could have continued indefinitely. However, Israel chose to bring this peaceful situation to an end by making a military incursion into Gaza on 4 November 2008 and killing 7 members of Hamas. Since then, Israel has mounted two murderous assaults on Gaza (Operation Cast Lead in 2008/9 and Operation Pillar of Cloud in November 2012), ostensibly to prevent firing out of Gaza, neither of which was as effective at doing that as the 2008 ceasefire arrangements, which Israel abrogated on 4 November 2008. (Click now to download the paper) (December 2012, PDF 161 kB)
	Home Demolitions PaperOverview: Israeli destruction of Palestinian property: homes, business premises, orchards, farmlands etc. has always been an intrinsic part of the plan by the settler-colonial state to cleanse Palestine of its indigenous people. It is Israel's way of separating Palestinians from their land and depriving them of a future. The Home Demolitions thus carried out, whether in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza or in the Bedouin Negev, constitute forced eviction and are illegal under international law. They only continue because those responsible for implementing international law seem unwilling to match their vocal condemnation with any action. (Click now to download the paper) (July 2012, PDF 831 kB)
	Home Demolitions FactsheetOverview: Israeli destruction of Palestinian property: homes, business premises, orchards, farmlands etc. has always been an intrinsic part of the plan by the settler-colonial state to cleanse Palestine of its indigenous people. It is Israel's way of separating Palestinians from their land and depriving them of a future. The Home Demolitions thus carried out, whether in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza or in the Bedouin Negev, constitute forced eviction and are illegal under international law. They only continue because those responsible for implementing international law seem unwilling to match their vocal condemnation with any action. (Click now to download the factsheet) (July 2012, PDF 253 kB)
	Ireland may propose an EU ban on Israeli settlement goods Overview: Ireland may propose an EU ban on settlement goods in the autumn, Foreign Minister, Eamon Gilmore, told Dáil Éireann on 22 May 2012. He was reporting on the outcome of the EU Foreign Affairs Council a week earlier, which made unprecedented criticism of Israel’s ongoing actions in East Jerusalem and Area C, in particular, settlement building and the forcing out of Palestinians. This briefing discusses the Council’s conclusions and the reports by the EU heads of mission to Palestine, which contributed to these conclusions. (Click now to download) (June 2012, PDF 103 kB)
	Without external pressure on Israel, a Palestinian state is unattainable Overview: In July 2011, Eamon Gilmore, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade, stated: "The continuing Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories is at the heart of the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict. … It is the continuing occupation, and the creation and growth of illegal settlements on the occupied lands, which are now the major obstacles to peace." This briefing asks the question: how can these obstacles be eliminated, so that a sovereign Palestinian state can come into being? We conclude that they will not be eliminated simply by direct negotiations between Israel and Palestinians. They will only be eliminated by external pressure on Israel to cease settlement building and end the occupation. Absent that pressure from the US and/or EU, the two political entities that have leverage over Israel, in our view a sovereign Palestinian state is unattainable. (Click now to download) (June 2012, PDF 137 kB)
	Al Nakba (‘The Catastrophe’ or ‘Disaster’) Overview: Al Nakba (‘the catastrophe’ or ‘disaster’ in Arabic) is the name given to the organised expulsion of approximately 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands by Zionist forces in 1948, the year the state of Israel was established. From its formation, the Israeli state’s official position has been one of denial that this terrible event ever happened. (Click now to download) (April 2012, PDF 346 kB)
	Israel is a rogue state Overview: Israel is a rogue state which treats with contempt its obligations under international law and agreements it has signed. It has occupied militarily large swathes of territory not its own for more than forty years – the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Syrian Golan Heights. It has annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Not only that, it has planted more than 500,000 Jewish settlers on this territory, with the clear intention of holding on to some or all of it permanently. This record of military occupation, annexation and colonisation for more than four decades is unrivalled in the world. Not only that, it holds the world record for violating Security Council resolutions that require action by it and it alone. (Click now to download) (April 2012, PDF 134 kB)
	Political developments in 2011 Overview: The Fine Gael/Labour coalition, which came to power in February 2011, with Labour leader, Eamon Gilmore, as Tánaiste and Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade, has moved Irish policy towards Palestine forward significantly in three respects: 1) singled out Israel’s military occupation and colonisation of Palestinian territories as the root of the problem in the Middle East. 2) committed Ireland to voting for UN membership for Palestine in the UN General Assembly and 3) committed Ireland to support an EU ban on the import of settlement goods. (Click now to download) (January 2012, PDF 111 kB)
	Palestine wins UNESCO membershipOverview: Palestine won UNESCO membership by 107 votes to 14, only 12 out of the 194 members siding with the US and Israel in opposing. As a result, the US has halted funding to UNESCO – existing US legislation compelled it to do so. It is doubtful if the US Congress will amend the legislation to enable funding to be resumed. If it isn’t, after two years the US will lose its voting rights in the organisation. If Palestine wins membership in other UN-related organisations, then the same thing will happen in them. (Click now to download) (December 2011, PDF 142 kB)
	Ireland supports EU ban on settlement goodsOverview: Irish Foreign Minister, Eamon Gilmore, has confirmed in Dáil Éireann that Ireland is committed to banning the import of settlement produce into the EU and is seeking to persuade member states to adopt this as EU policy. (Click now to download) (November 2011, PDF 99 kB)
	The Palestinian UN InitiativeOverview: This briefing describes the progress of the Palestinians’ UN initiative, which seeks UN membership for a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital, that is, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip – the Palestinian territories which have been under Israeli military occupation since June 1967. (Click now to download) (November 2011, PDF 137 kB)
	Ireland's position on the recognition of a Palestinian stateOverview: Summary of the publicly stated position of the Irish Government on the recognition of a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders as of 5 September 2011. (Click now to download) (September 2011, PDF 103 kB)
	Why Ireland should support UN membership for a Palestinian stateOverview: Palestinians are seeking the ultimate form of international recognition for a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders, that is, UN membership. An application for UN membership must first be recommended by the Security Council, where it may be subject to a US veto, and then approved by General Assembly by a two-thirds majority. We in Sadaka believe that Ireland should vote for UN membership in the General Assembly in order to put pressure on Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders. This briefing gives our reasons. (Click to download) (September 2011, PDF 149 kB)
	Steps to UN membership for PalestineOverview: In September, Palestinians intend to apply for UN membership for a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders, that is, in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Palestinian territories under Israeli military occupation since 1967. It is expected that the US will veto the membership application in the Security Council and the application will fail. However, Palestinians are confident that they will succeed in enhancing their status at the UN in the autumn by being granted observer rights as a “non-member state”. This requires a simple majority in the UN General Assembly and cannot be blocked by the US. (Click now to download PDF) (August 2011, PDF 112 kB)
	Palestine in Irish Politics: A HistoryOverview: Since the War of Independence, Ireland has engaged closely with the ‘Question of Palestine’, supporting the rights of the Palestinian people. While “anti-Semitism” had little support in Ireland, and the Irish independence movement embraced the Irish Jewish community, Zionism was opposed as a British imperial project in the Middle East. In the Bahrain Declaration in 1980, Ireland was the first state in the EEC to support the establishment of an independent State in Palestine, to recognise the PLO, and seek a settlement based on pre-1967 borders. The Bahrain Declaration laid the basis for the dramatic change in the European position, set out in the Venice Declaration of June 1980, which is still the basis of EU policy. A recent editorial in the New York Times described the Venice Declaration as defining “the contours of the only plausible agreement between Israel and the Palestinians”. The position of the Irish state on Palestine has been one of the most progressive in the western world, and has been consistent since first set down by de Valera in the 1930s. (Click to download) (July 2011, PDF 514 kB)
	The Goldstone Report does not need correctionOverview: Judge Goldstone, who headed the UN investigation into Israel’s military assault on Gaza in December 2008/January 2009, has implied that the investigation’s report needs substantial correction because new information has come to light. Professor Christine Chinkin, Hina Jilani and Colonel Desmond Travers, who worked with him on the investigation and co-wrote its report, do not share his view. In fact, he questioned the report’s conclusions about only one out of the thirty-six incidents investigated. (Click to download) (April 2011, PDF 523 kB)
	The Goldstone Report does not need correctionOverview: Judge Goldstone, who headed the UN investigation into Israel’s military assault on Gaza in December 2008/January 2009, has implied that the investigation’s report needs substantial correction because new information has come to light. Professor Christine Chinkin, Hina Jilani and Colonel Desmond Travers, who worked with him on the investigation and co-wrote its report, do not share his view. In fact, he questioned the report’s conclusions about only one out of the thirty-six incidents investigated. (Click to download) (April 2011, PDF 131 kB)
	The EU and IsraelOverview: In December 2009, the EU adopted a set of conclusions on the Middle East, which were rightly regarded as a firming up of EU policy towards Israel. But firm policy is no use without the will to put it into effect, by imposing sanctions on Israel, if necessary. (Click to download) (March 2011, PDF 154 kB)
	Is Hamas opposed to a two-state solution?Overview: Israel and its allies say repeatedly that Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel and opposed to a “two-state solution”. This briefing shows that Hamas has stated on many occasions that it is prepared to accept a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders, if Israel withdrew to those borders. Unfortunately, Israel shows no inclination to so that. (Click to download) (March 2011, PDF 106 kB)
	Is Iran a threat to Israel's existence?Overview: Israel and its allies assert that Iran is a threat to the existence of the Israeli state, that the Islamic regime in Iran is akin to Nazi Germany and President Ahmadinejad is a modern Hitler. After all, didn’t he threaten to “wipe Israel off the map”? This briefing questions the validity of this narrative. (Click to download) (March 2011, PDF 147 kB)
	The European Union’s Blind EyeOverview: This paper demonstrates how the EU has constantly turned a blind eye to Israel’s failure to fulfil its obligations in agreements with the EU. Under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, for example, Israel is required to "respect the territorial integrity and unity" of its partners - it has failed to do so in respect of Lebanon and Syria, some of whose territory it occupies. Under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, it is also required to “act in accordance with the United Nations Charter” – it has failed to do so, since it is in breach of more UN Security Council resolutions than any other state in the world. (Click to download) (March 2011, PDF 500 kB)
	Jerusalem Past and PresentOverview: Jerusalem has become both symbol and victim of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ruthless effort of Israeli expansionism to sweep away over one thousand years of history in the city itself and its surrounding land, threatens any prospect of peace with the Palestinians, or acceptance by the wider world. (Click to download) (March 2011, PDF 1.45 MB)
	Ireland should recognise a Palestinian state in the 1967 bordersOverview: In November 1988, the PLO declared the establishment of a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders, that is, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. With this declaration, Palestinians accepted the objective of a state on just 22% of their historic homeland, with Israel continuing to exist in the other 78%. More than 100 states in the world recognised it and granted it full diplomatic relations. Other states, including Ireland, while not going as far as recognition, established some form of diplomatic relations with it. Recently, the PLO has renewed its recognition campaign, with a view to taking the matter to the UN in September 2011, and has had great success in Latin America. Sadaka believes that Ireland should take a lead in the EU in this matter and, as soon as possible, recognise a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders. (Click to download) (Feb 2011, PDF 230 kB)