Free Republic

The Taoiseach has told President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas that he will continue to speak out for Palestine in the EU and other international forums, and urge other countries to recognize the state of Palestine. “There is an absolute right to a Palestinian state, a state that can live in peace and security alongside the State of Israel,” Simon Harris said. The two leaders met on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Palestinian leader thanked Ireland for giving formal diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine earlier this year. […] The Taoiseach said...

Irish President Michael Higgins accuses Israel of leaking the full text of a letter he sent to Iran’s new president as he was sworn in in July, an allegation rejected and denounced by the Israeli embassy. The July 11 letter congratulating Masoud Pezeshkian — whose existence was made public on July 26 by Ireland’s Foreign Ministry but whose full text was then published online on July 29 — drew backlash for its friendly nature; its claim that Iran will play a “crucial role” in achieving Middle East stability, cooperation and “peaceful resolving of disputes”; and its omission of Tehran’s major...

The Irish government has abandoned plans to implement controversial new hate speech laws following widespread backlash from free speech advocates. Justice Minister Helen McEntee confirmed on Saturday that Dublin will drop new hate speech provisions in the proposed Criminal Justice Bill, admitting that the “incitement to hatred” section of the legislation did “not have a consensus,” the Irish Times reports. Critics of the speech restrictions have noted that the government failed to actually define what constitutes “hate” and therefore the law would have given broad powers to the state to crush dissent. The scope of the draconian powers would have...

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is to seek approval to the Government to bring dozens of children from Gaza to Ireland for medical care. The initiative follows months of work across Government departments, along with the input of medical doctors and the Irish Red Cross. The Cabinet is meeting this morning ahead of the return of the Dáil later today after the summer recess. This plan is aiming to evacuate around 30 children from Gaza before the end of the year in what would be the first phase of the program. …

Apple has been ordered to pay Ireland €13bn (£11bn; $14bn) in unpaid taxes by Europe’s top court, putting an end to an eight-year row. The European Commission accused Ireland of giving Apple illegal tax advantages in 2016, but Ireland has consistently argued against the need for the tax to be paid. The Irish government said it would respect the ruling. […] A separate European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on Tuesday also brought a long-running case with Google to a close, with the company ordered to pay a €2.4bn (£2bn) fine for market dominance abuse. […] Apple said in a...

“Once they give the Pakis passports and badges, it’s all over for the Old Country, boy-o” my Irish-Catholic Midwestern grandmammy once lamented to me over her morning ritual prune juice-Jameson cocktail. It kept her regular. This turned out to be another of her Nostradamus moments, as the diversity fire raging in Ireland is not likely to be quenched by hordes of new deputized “migrants” that the government is for some recruiting directly from places like Pakistan. This story is absolutely insane, such that initially I could not believe it was true. Alas, it is. Not only does Ireland recruit police...

Unchecked mass immigration has radically transformed and destabilized the author's home country; America should take heed. Close your eyes and picture Ireland. You’re probably imagining lush green fields, charming villages, and thatched cottages. Now, open your eyes and acknowledge reality. Nearly one in five people living in Ireland wasn’t born there. In Galway, a city that’s a stone’s throw from where I grew up, Muhammad recently surpassed Michael and Martin as the most popular name for newborn boys. That’s right — Muhammad, a name synonymous with Islamic tradition. This is not the Ireland you know or thought you knew. It’s...

Almost two-thirds of people, 64%, agree that Ireland should welcome people who move here to make a better life for themselves or their families, according to a new survey. The study, which was conducted by Ireland Thinks for the Migrant Rights Center Ireland (MRCI), showed that 18% of those surveyed disagree that Ireland should welcome people who move here. Asked what Government policy should be towards undocumented migrant workers, 25% of respondents said they should be required to leave the country immediately, while 69% said they should be given the opportunity to come forward and legalize their status, provided they...

Taoiseach Simon Harris has said he is seeking information on reports that Israeli operated aircraft carrying weaponry from the United States to Israel flew through Irish airspace. Speaking in Government Buildings, he said there are very clear consent protocols that would need to be followed for that to happen. He said his understanding from the Department of Defense and the Department of Transport is no such consent was sought and he is expecting to hear an update from the relevant Government departments. …

A London rabbi charged with performing an illegal circumcision on a baby boy in Dublin has been granted bail and has been allowed to return to the UK pending trial after a judge ruled that he was not a flight risk.

A 61-year-old professor born in Phoenix, Arizona, believes he is the first person to gain Irish citizenship solely based on the results of a DNA test, the Irish Times reported.John Portmann, an author and professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, took an Ancestry.com test in 2019 at the behest of his adopted sister. Portmann was cared for by nuns in Phoenix before being adopted and grew up not knowing anything about his background.When he received his DNA results, he was shocked to find out he was full-blooded Irish...he couldn't stop thinking about Ireland and about his biological...

President Michael D. Higgins has said there is “no room anymore for anyone to avert their gaze" from Gaza. His comments come after an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza city that had been used to house people displaced by the war. The attack on the compound housing displaced families (and) killed around 100 people, the Hamas-run Gaza government said, while the Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas militants and cast doubt on the Palestinian death toll. President Higgins said that airstrike will be “condemned by all those seeking to find peace in what is a continuing horrific...

While investigating an illegal immigrant encampment in Ireland, journalist Andy Ngo was told to "go back to China." He's not Chinese.According to The Post Millennial, where Ngo is a senior editor, the incident occurred in ultra-liberal Dublin's city center on June 19. The individual who hurled the racist remark at Ngo was an illegal immigrant living in one of the 100 tents lining the Grand Canal. The encampment sprung up along the waterway reportedly consists of all adult male foreign nationals, mainly from the Middle East and Africa.As Ngo was reporting on the European nation's border crisis, the newly arrived...

The Government is to use charter flights to deport groups of people no longer permitted to remain in the State. On Monday, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the launch of a procurement process for the flights would ultimately give gardaí (police) more options in executing deportations. “The capacity of deportation and return processes are essential elements of any immigration system,” she said. […] The move comes at a time of mounting pressure on Government to deal with the issue of immigration, alongside an inability to provide sufficient accommodation. …

After the announcement last week that Spain, Norway and Ireland would recognize the state of Palestine, a visibly-delighted Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations came to talk to the press. “We need somebody to take pictures,” Riyad Mansour said, ushering the Irish, Spanish and Norwegian envoys into an impromptu photoshoot just outside the UN Security Council. “A glorious day today,” Mr. Mansour declared as the four ambassadors stood shoulder-to-shoulder. […] All this, the supporters of Palestinian statehood hope, is gathering momentum towards the implementation of a two-state solution. That is not how Israel, nor its closest ally, the US, see...

Irish Ambassador to Israel Sonya McGuinness was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry in Jerusalem today and reprimanded over Ireland’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine. The ambassadors of Spain and Norway attended the same meeting for the same reason. Before any discussions, they were shown a previously unaired video of Hamas taking female army conscripts captive on 7 October last year. It is understood the Irish Government was disappointed at this, on the basis that it fell below the established procedures and practices regarding diplomatic engagement. What is believed to have been a “forthright exchange of views”...

I’m allowed to say the following because I’m Irish. We get to say it about each other. Except this time, the N-word is “Nazi.”Ireland, Norway, and Spain are now recognizing a country that does not exist and never has.Ireland Recognizes Palestine As Independent StateSo: Hamas butchers and rapes a bunch of innocent people, diligently documents it all on livestream video, and now the world is supposed to hand them a state? Please take that idea and stuff it up your bottom with a broom handle till your tonsils ache.It’s official: Antisemitism is mainstream, and nobody cares because none of these...

The Israeli foreign ministry has posted a video message directed at Ireland, which claims that if the Irish Government recognizes the State of Palestine, it will be encouraging terrorism. The headline states: “Recognizing a Palestinian state will lead to more terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardize any prospects for peace. Don’t be a pawn in the hands of Hamas.” In the 35-second video, the script declares: “Ireland: The possibility of recognizing a Palestinian state risks turning you into a pawn of Iran and Hamas.” It continues: “Such a move will only strengthen Hamas and weaken an already dysfunctional Palestinian...

Ireland, Spain and a number of other EU member states are considering 21 May as the date on which they will jointly recognize the State of Palestine, RTÉ News understands. Two sources have said that 21 May is being looked at. A third source said contacts between Dublin and Madrid, as well as between Slovenia and Malta, have been intensifying with a view to the countries jointly recognizing Palestinian statehood. […] Currently, eight EU member states recognize the State of Palestine, the most recent being Sweden in 2014. Ireland has been in ongoing discussions with “like-minded” states for a number...

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an “obstacle” in a two-state solution between Israel and Gaza and said he should resign. In an interview with RTÉ’s Six One News during a visit to Ireland, Pelosi spoke about the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Netanyahu’s deadly counteroffensive that has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health officials. “We recognize Israel’s right to protect itself. We reject the policy and the practice of Netanyahu,” she said. “Terrible. What could be worse than what he has done in response?” “He should...