SF's world view comes into focus after Hamas attack

Mary Regan - RTE - 15/10
Mary Lou McDonald's recent comments in the Dáil on the Hamas attack were the most critical Sinn Féin has made to date on the group, raising questions around whether this is another example of the party moderating a position in preparation for government.

In June 2020, as the country prepared to emerge from lockdown, an online event hosted by Sinn Féin attracted a sizeable audience.

Voices from Palestine included a number of speakers, all calling on the Irish Government to "recognise the State of Palestine, sanction the apartheid State of Israel; oppose the annexation and enact the Occupied Territories Bill".

Joining via video link from Gaza, where he spoke under darkness because of an electricity blackout, was Dr Basem Naim, head of international relations for Hamas.

He told the more than 7,000 people tuned in online, according to Sinn Féin's international bulletin newsletter, that efforts by Israel to pursue further annexation of Palestinian land would provoke "a new round of violence".

Any Palestinian who saw "his land, his olive trees being stolen" would "defend himself by all means" and using "any tools – any tools – to resist these plans," he warned. "You cannot expect any quietness," he added.

There was little quietness this week as Israeli airstrikes hammered Gaza in revenge for a Hamas attack last weekend at the Supernova music festival which resulted in...
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