"Israel must see that there are consequences to its actions" -Interview with Raymond Deane

national | anti-war / imperialism | other press Thursday March 26, 2009 11:12 by José Antonio Gutiérrez D.

The following is an interview with Raymond Deane, an Irish composer, author and former chairperson of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC). He has been a remarkably active member of the IPSC for years, he is also a very knowledgable person on the Middle East conflict and is a committed supporter of the Botcott Campaign in Ireland. His opinions on this interview on the campaign are on a personal capacity. This interview was originally published in Anarkismo.net. Full text at link.

1. The recent brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza generated a massive wave of public opinion which renewed the energy of the international solidarity movement... Ireland seems to be a key actor in the growing international solidarity movement against the Palestinian oppression, can you tell us in what concrete ways this solidarity has been expressed?

I'm not sure that Ireland is "a key actor" - it's flattering, but an exaggeration. However, Ireland SHOULD and COULD be a key actor if its government paid attention to public opinion (you and I know that governments only do that when it suits them). For historical reasons, the Palestinian cause is perhaps more widely supported here than elsewhere at a gut level. Were our government to reflect this more forcefully within the European Union and develop the courage to oppose the EU's support for Israel, I believe it would set an example that would be followed by certain other EU countries (Cyprus, Greece, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, perhaps Spain, Portugal...). Thus the solidarity movement here has to TRY to turn Ireland into "a key actor", into a kind of "rotten apple" within the EU basket. To this extent solidarity with the Palestinians and opposition to the stance of our own government -and, in my view, opposition to the Lisbon Treaty and a common EU foreign policy determined ultimately by countries like Germany, France and the UK - go hand in hand