Micheál bottled it | Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians | Buíochas

Micheál bottled it

As Fianna Fáil this year marks its 100th birthday, where does it stand on the issue of Irish Unity? According to its Constitution, Fianna Fáil’s first aim is; “To secure in peace and agreement the unity of Ireland and its people.” Very worthy but has the party in or out of government during the last century actually done anything to achieve it?

Currently, while the conversation on unity is daily taking place An Taoiseach Micheál Martin is seen by many as the greatest impediment to progress. When asked he waffles and generally dissembles. 

Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians

Imagine, if at any point during the decades of conflict, the RUC and British Army had invaded Ballymacarrett/Short Strand in East Belfast and forcibly evicted its residents and systematically destroyed every home, shop, school, St. Mathew’s, and tore up the roads, sewage and water infrastructure. Imagine too if this policy had been applied to other nationalist areas like Crossmaglen or the Bogside.

This is the reality of life for the Palestinian people of the west Bank at this time. A new report by B’Tselem – an Israeli human rights organisation - is a damning indictment of Israeli aggression and apartheid against the Palestinians. It records, in its detailed 200 page report, entitled ‘The Elimination Project,’ that as of June this year 64 Shepherding communities have been forcibly expelled from their homes. In the last 20 months the Israeli military has also displaced 33,000 Palestinians from the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps. It destroyed homes, buildings and infrastructure.

Imagine, if at any point during the decades of conflict, the RUC and British Army had invaded Ballymacarrett/Short Strand in East Belfast and forcibly evicted its residents and systematically destroyed every home, shop, school, St. Mathew’s, and tore up the roads, sewage and water infrastructure. Imagine too if this policy had been applied to other nationalist areas like Crossmaglen or the Bogside.

This is the reality of life for the Palestinian people of the west Bank at this time. A new report by B’Tselem – an Israeli human rights organisation - is a damning indictment of Israeli aggression and apartheid against the Palestinians. It records, in its detailed 200 page report, entitled ‘The Elimination Project,’ that as of June this year 64 Shepherding communities have been forcibly expelled from their homes. In the last 20 months the Israeli military has also displaced 33,000 Palestinians from the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps. It destroyed homes, buildings and infrastructure. 

The B’Tselem report is available: https://www.btselem.org//

 Buíochas  

I consider it a great honour for me to have a column  published by the Belfast Media Group. I don’t know how many people pay heed to my musings but I am grateful to have a platform to write about whatever takes my fancy. Thats’ what the Andersontown News and The Irish Echo do. They provide an alternative viewpoint to the line  promolgated  by the establishment media. An inclusive community based response.

You don’t have to agree with the editorial line all the time but I for one, and many many others have an affinity with our Andytown News that we will never have with other newspapers.  A newspaper of its own is a mighty asset for any community to have.