Madam, – Trócaire welcomes the initiative by 17 members of the Oireachtas asking the Government to veto Israel’s membership of the OECD. In the past week over 700 Trócaire supporters signed our online petition on this issue. They responded to the words of a young Palestinian, Yara Shaheen, who said to us, “When I think of Israel joining an organisation for economic co-operation I ask what kind of economy are Palestinians allowed to have? What kind of co-operation do we get? We get siege and military occupation. Goods like petrol can’t enter Gaza. Hardly any food comes in. All we want is normality.” Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has spoken out against Israel’s human rights violations. He now has a unique chance to turn the rhetoric into reality.
Ireland should not only vote against Israeli membership – we should urge other like-minded states who stand against Israel’s appalling treatment of Palestinians to also veto it. – Yours, etc,