Joe Biden on Friday compared Israel’s treatment of Palestine with Britain’s violent past in Ireland.
The US President, who often mentions his Irish heritage, said Irish Catholics had been treated similarly poorly as the Palestinians during a trip to Israel.
Mr Biden said: “The background of my family is Irish American and we have a long history, not fundamentally unlike the Palestinian people, with Great Britain and their attitude toward Irish Catholics over the years, for 400 years.”
He added, “Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal measure of freedom, security, prosperity and dignity and access to healthcare, when you need it, is essential to living a life of dignity for all of us.”
The comments, made as he announced $100 million in funding for hospitals for Palestinians, risk infuriating Brexiteers and Unionists.
Mr Biden has been a robust critic of the UK Government’s plan to rip up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol which prevents an inflammatory hard Irish border.
The Rev Mervyn Gibson, a senior Orangeman, accused Mr Biden of being “British-hating” in a July 12 speech that strongly criticised the Protocol.
Democrats have warned that the US will never agree to a free trade deal with the UK if it reneges on the treaty that created the Irish Sea border and puts the Good Friday Agreement at risk.
The EU has warned it will retaliate if the Government presses ahead with the Northern Ireland Protocol bill.
Mr Biden later met with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, before heading to Saudi Arabia to meet its crown prince.
The US president supports a two state solution in Israel but there appears to be little prospect of an independent Palestine.
This guy is an idiot with no ability to think before he speaks. He just seems more normal because the Cheeto was 100 times worse.
Love how he mentions his Irish heritage but not his Sussex heritage, where his family are originally from, but I guess that isn’t a popular vote winning “origin story” to the Yanks.
Objectively correct but politically tone-deaf.
He is absolutely correct.
For once the man is talking sense
Whilst I agree it’s terrible what’s happening in Israel and Palestine I can’t help but spot the hypocrisy of a US president currently doing deals in Saudi Arabia to lecture people on this subject.
How much damage has your actual country done Joe Biden, let alone how much damage has been done with your direct control over it. Disgusting old fool.
Would that be the same Israel that the US have fully supported and propped up for the last 70 years?!
Surely this is rule 1 of international relations? Don’t throw an ally under the bus when talking about something that has nothing to do with that ally.
Nothing more laughable than an American calling themselves Irish when neither themselves, nor their parents, nor their grandparents, nor their great-grand parents were born in Ireland.
My grandparents were born in Indonesia. Doesn’t make me any more Indonesia when I was born and raised on the other side of the world.
Funny he didn’t mention the US treatment of African Americans.
Don’t you preside over a nation that keeps it’s Native inhabitants on literal human ‘reservations’? What about your treatment of African Americans?
And you’re not Irish Joe. You couldn’t name three cities in Ireland.
He’s not wrong historically speaking.
He’s not entirely wrong though, is he?
In this thread
* people who haven’t read the article.
* people who know fuck all about Northern Irish history.
* Brits having opinions on Irish heritage things.
* combinations of all of the above.
There’s a *reason* why many people in Ireland today have a close affinity with the Palestinian cause, especially those of a Republican disposition.
Amusingly, many Loyalists (who often tend to be anti semetic) are also somehow ardent supporters of Zionism *specifically because* Republicans tend to support Palestinian causes.
Was he wrong? No. The RUC were rebranded for a reason.
2 things not acknowledged enough. Just how awful the UK treated Catholics, and just how much Israel are practicing apartheid in the occupied territories. Biden is a senile old biddy, and a massive hypocrite, but this is honestly quite based
My mom is Irish and I don’t claim to be Irish, why do Americans delude themselves into thinking they are and fetishise the place after taking a 23andme test telling them their great grandfathers uncles cousins daughters brother is Irish
I mean, hes not wrong. Pretty sure 95% of brits have no idea half the shit they did in ireland
lol. the jingoism in this thread is hilarious. You people are so oblivious to your own history.
It isn’t an exact comparison but he’s not entirely wrong. Britain has oppressed Irish Catholics for centuries.
What I think is hypocritical is that Biden has such a hard on for the Irish but despite comparing them to Palestinians, in his capacity as POTUS, Biden is a huge supporter of Israel. So which is it, Joe?
Salty Brits in these comments
Lots of shy tories getting angry that their great nation is getting called out. I think there are many who haven’t yet realised how trashed the reputation of the UK is internationally.
Irish here, this is why there are Palestinian flags all over Ireland. Ireland is the number one non Muslim country that supports Palestine
The bizarre thing about this is that Biden has been one of the most vocal supporters of Israel and it’s brutalisation of Palestinians in the US congress for decades
Most of these comments are laughable, getting defensive and arguing over the technicality of his nationality, while completely ignoring the fact that what he said is true.
To be fair catholics in Northern Ireland where second class citizen’s.
Worst housing, schools and never got a job if a protestant applied.
ITT: people in denial of the history of British oppression in Ireland.
28 comments
Joe Biden on Friday compared Israel’s treatment of Palestine with Britain’s violent past in Ireland.
The US President, who often mentions his Irish heritage, said Irish Catholics had been treated similarly poorly as the Palestinians during a trip to Israel.
Mr Biden said: “The background of my family is Irish American and we have a long history, not fundamentally unlike the Palestinian people, with Great Britain and their attitude toward Irish Catholics over the years, for 400 years.”
He added, “Palestinians and Israelis deserve equal measure of freedom, security, prosperity and dignity and access to healthcare, when you need it, is essential to living a life of dignity for all of us.”
The comments, made as he announced $100 million in funding for hospitals for Palestinians, risk infuriating Brexiteers and Unionists.
Mr Biden has been a robust critic of the UK Government’s plan to rip up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol which prevents an inflammatory hard Irish border.
The Rev Mervyn Gibson, a senior Orangeman, accused Mr Biden of being “British-hating” in a July 12 speech that strongly criticised the Protocol.
Democrats have warned that the US will never agree to a free trade deal with the UK if it reneges on the treaty that created the Irish Sea border and puts the Good Friday Agreement at risk.
The EU has warned it will retaliate if the Government presses ahead with the Northern Ireland Protocol bill.
Mr Biden later met with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, before heading to Saudi Arabia to meet its crown prince.
The US president supports a two state solution in Israel but there appears to be little prospect of an independent Palestine.
This guy is an idiot with no ability to think before he speaks. He just seems more normal because the Cheeto was 100 times worse.
Love how he mentions his Irish heritage but not his Sussex heritage, where his family are originally from, but I guess that isn’t a popular vote winning “origin story” to the Yanks.
Objectively correct but politically tone-deaf.
He is absolutely correct.
For once the man is talking sense
Whilst I agree it’s terrible what’s happening in Israel and Palestine I can’t help but spot the hypocrisy of a US president currently doing deals in Saudi Arabia to lecture people on this subject.
How much damage has your actual country done Joe Biden, let alone how much damage has been done with your direct control over it. Disgusting old fool.
Would that be the same Israel that the US have fully supported and propped up for the last 70 years?!
Surely this is rule 1 of international relations? Don’t throw an ally under the bus when talking about something that has nothing to do with that ally.
Nothing more laughable than an American calling themselves Irish when neither themselves, nor their parents, nor their grandparents, nor their great-grand parents were born in Ireland.
My grandparents were born in Indonesia. Doesn’t make me any more Indonesia when I was born and raised on the other side of the world.
Funny he didn’t mention the US treatment of African Americans.
Don’t you preside over a nation that keeps it’s Native inhabitants on literal human ‘reservations’? What about your treatment of African Americans?
And you’re not Irish Joe. You couldn’t name three cities in Ireland.
He’s not wrong historically speaking.
He’s not entirely wrong though, is he?
In this thread
* people who haven’t read the article.
* people who know fuck all about Northern Irish history.
* Brits having opinions on Irish heritage things.
* combinations of all of the above.
There’s a *reason* why many people in Ireland today have a close affinity with the Palestinian cause, especially those of a Republican disposition.
Amusingly, many Loyalists (who often tend to be anti semetic) are also somehow ardent supporters of Zionism *specifically because* Republicans tend to support Palestinian causes.
Was he wrong? No. The RUC were rebranded for a reason.
2 things not acknowledged enough. Just how awful the UK treated Catholics, and just how much Israel are practicing apartheid in the occupied territories. Biden is a senile old biddy, and a massive hypocrite, but this is honestly quite based
My mom is Irish and I don’t claim to be Irish, why do Americans delude themselves into thinking they are and fetishise the place after taking a 23andme test telling them their great grandfathers uncles cousins daughters brother is Irish
I mean, hes not wrong. Pretty sure 95% of brits have no idea half the shit they did in ireland
lol. the jingoism in this thread is hilarious. You people are so oblivious to your own history.
It isn’t an exact comparison but he’s not entirely wrong. Britain has oppressed Irish Catholics for centuries.
What I think is hypocritical is that Biden has such a hard on for the Irish but despite comparing them to Palestinians, in his capacity as POTUS, Biden is a huge supporter of Israel. So which is it, Joe?
Salty Brits in these comments
Lots of shy tories getting angry that their great nation is getting called out. I think there are many who haven’t yet realised how trashed the reputation of the UK is internationally.
Irish here, this is why there are Palestinian flags all over Ireland. Ireland is the number one non Muslim country that supports Palestine
The bizarre thing about this is that Biden has been one of the most vocal supporters of Israel and it’s brutalisation of Palestinians in the US congress for decades
Most of these comments are laughable, getting defensive and arguing over the technicality of his nationality, while completely ignoring the fact that what he said is true.
To be fair catholics in Northern Ireland where second class citizen’s.
Worst housing, schools and never got a job if a protestant applied.
ITT: people in denial of the history of British oppression in Ireland.
Biden is right.