In a day filled with emergencies due to an impending devastating storm in Florida, dubbed as “the storm of the century” by President Joe Biden, Taoiseach Simon Harris took the opportunity in Wednesday’s meeting to emphasize Ireland’s call for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza.
Post meeting, Harris expressed Ireland’s standpoint that their national identity has previously been misused by terrorist organizations, thus they understand the position Palestine is in; that being, Palestine does not equate to Hamas. The despicable acts committed by Hamas, a terrorist group, particularly the attack on October 7th of the preceding year should be eternally condemned, as asserted by Harris. However, he raised concerns regarding the Netanyahu administration’s response, highlighting the disproportionality of their actions which have led to the unnecessary deaths of numerous people, children included.
When queried if he had urged President Biden to halt arms supply to Israel, Harris clarified that his duty was to present Ireland’s view. He maintained that the US’s foreign diplomacy decisions were its own responsibility. Nonetheless, during the session, President Biden shared details of an earlier conversation with the Israeli leader, their first interaction since August.
According to Harris, Biden made it abundantly clear that this discussion was of substantial importance. The conversation pertained to the need for humanitarian aid in Israel, implementation of a ceasefire, and the agreement of willingness to increase efforts towards both aspects. Biden also expressed conviction that the only resolution is through the establishment of a two-state system.
The agenda for the two-day visit, marking 100 years of Ireland-USA diplomatic relations, was considerably condensed due to the severe nature and potential destruction of the storm hitting Florida’s west coast.
The recent visit to Ireland was marred by the scandal sparked by the remarks of Punam Kane, a city councillor of Dublin representing Fine Gael. At one meeting, she opined that the US economy is under “Jewish and Israeli control”. The World Jewish Congress President’s response to this was a demand for decisive action from Mr Harris.
On Wednesday morning, Mr Harris strongly decried her comments, labelling them completely inappropriate and entirely offensive. He ensured that a strict and prompt disciplinary procedure will be carried out.
In addition, he criticised Matthew Brodsky’s recent statement on social media, which was later removed, where he suggested the Israeli army should ‘carpet bomb’ an area of Lebanon manned by Irish peacekeeping forces. Brodsky was previously an adviser on peace matters and has supposedly guided members of Congress and the National Security Council during Trump’s presidency.
Mr Harris condemned the suggestion as repulsive and entirely out of order. He praised the peacekeeping troops for carrying out their duties brilliantly over the years.
Speculations about the announcement of a general election in Ireland taking place in November were addressed by Mr Harris. He asserted it is his constitutional right to use his discretion to decide the most suitable time to request President Higgins for the dissolution of the Dáil. He clarified his stand further by stating that he believes the current Government is performing well. Thus, he has no intentions to shock his Coalition colleagues and wishes for a smooth end to the government’s tenure, allowing it to finish its work.