10 November 2023
~2 minutes read
Israel “strenuously rejects” claims made by Deputy Catherine Connolly on actions of IDF
Israel has responded to claims by Galway West TD Catherine Connolly – strongly rejecting her comments on Israel’s military action in recent weeks.
Deputy Connolly had claimed in the Dáil that the Israeli Defence Forces is a “warmongering, vengeful army out of control”.
She also argued that Ireland is not going far enough in condemning what’s happening in Gaza, harming our credibility as a neutral state.
Here’s what she had to say in the Dáil.
And the response from the Israeli embassy strongly suggests that people are more careful before using terms like genocide.
It suggests that Deputy Connolly may be unaware that the Hamas Charter of 1988 calls for genocide against Israel.
And it says Hamas clearly gave expression to that objective, when it invaded on October 7th and murdered 1,400 civilians – including Irish-Israeli citizen Kim Damti.
It claims Hamas forced the conflict on Israel, deliberately targeting civilians, and embedding itself in the civilian population, storing rockets and weapons in civilian facilities.
The statement argues that the IDF does everything in its power to minimise casualties, while Hamas repeatedly does the opposite, even with their own population.
It also points out that Hamas currently holds over 240 people hostage, including Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand – and none have been given humanitarian aid.
It further says the only things preventing the murder and maiming of more people in Israel from indiscriminate rocket attacks have been Israeli defensive measures.
The statement in response to Deputy Connolly’s comments concludes by saying it’s a shame that one day after commemorating Kristallnacht, the lessons of that dark time in history seem to be forgotten.
