[https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/sinn-fein-voted-against-european-parliament-motion-condemning-hamas-for-attack-on-israel/a930287914.html](https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/sinn-fein-voted-against-european-parliament-motion-condemning-hamas-for-attack-on-israel/a930287914.html)

Sinn Féin voted against a European Parliament motion condemning the Hamas attack on Israel earlier this month, while People Before Profit has claimed many Israeli hostages are part of “occupation forces”.

Sinn Féin’s sole MEP Chris MacManus was one of four Irish MEPs who last Thursday voted down a motion strongly condemning the October 7 attacks, which left more than 1,400 Israelis dead.

The motion also called for the elimination of the “terrorist organisation ­Hamas”, as well as the release of hostages.

Independents Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Mick Wallace and Clare Daly were also among the 21 MEPs who voted down the motion, which also called for a “humanitarian pause” to allow the delivery of aid and for Israel’s response – which has left more than 5,000 people in Gaza dead – to be within international law.

It comes as People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy defended a leaflet distributed by his party which states “no one wants to see hostages taken but again, many of those taken are members of the occupation forces or settler movements”.

It has been widely reported that while some of the more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas militants are soldiers, many are civilians – including people with disabilities, children, grandparents and even a nine-month-old baby.

A People Before Profit activist’s email to TDs and senators last week claimed many of the Israeli civilians killed on October 7 were caught in crossfire between Hamas and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and “indeed, many were likely shot with IDF bullets”.

The email also cites hostages ­reported “being treated with dignity by Hamas fighters”.

Mr Murphy said Hamas is “a right-wing Islamist organisation” but declined to say if its members were terrorists.

“We are opposed to hostage-taking and the targeting of civilians,” he said.

“We call for the release of all the hostages held by Hamas and the release of over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners held as hostages by Israel, including thousands who are being held without charge or trial, and hundreds of children.” He said people should “continue to bombard TDs” with emails asking them to condemn “genocide by Israel and advocate for an immediate ceasefire”.

Mr MacManus defended his vote last week, saying the resolution was “not sufficient to deal with the catastrophe happening before our eyes”.

He said he consistently voted to ­condemn Hamas in separate votes on parts of the resolution, but said the final version was “unbalanced”, adding: “Anybody who is serious about addressing the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is calling for a ceasefire.”

In a joint statement, Mr Wallace and Ms Daly said: “We reject this resolution and we think ordinary Irish people will feel the same when they read it.

“The resolution is completely silent in relation to Israel’s treatment of ­Palestinian people to date. It acts as though history began on the 7th of ­October. There is no mention of Israel’s crimes against humanity.”

They said the resolution does not call for a ceasefire but instead ­“fudges” that point.

“It’s an appalling and dangerous statement on behalf of the parliament. It uses the language of terrorism in relation to Hamas, but Israel’s actions are portrayed as a legitimate response,” the MEPs added.

by Classy56

9 comments

  2. Pains me to be on the same side as Mick Wallace and Clare Daly but their statement seems an entirely reasonable and consistent position.

  4. The idea of a ceasefire being respected by Hamas is laughable, as if a radical terrorist enclave will stop being terrorists because the west ask them to nicely. Of course the young, naive or daft fall for it.

  6. The comments on the Europe sub are absolutely vile. Bunch of mini Chichesters swarming with racist attacks and deflection. It’s simultaneously amusing and pathetic to watch a hoard of power ranger avatars baying for blood.

  7. Hamas is a part of the palestinian resistance that are violently resisting apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Sometimes that manifests itself in ugly ways, the cycle of violence is generations old at this point, but a lot of comfortable westerners who’ve never been the subject of oppression seem to focus on the fact that Israel’s victims are violently resisting them as opposed to Israel’s decades long oppression.

    Israel has always had the opportunity for long-lasting peace via undermining the reason that insurgency exists in the first place. They could reverse the nakba, they could return occupied territories, they could meaningfully reconcile – but why do any of that when you could just carry out ethnic cleansing in plain view and still receive support from the west while doing so?

  9. Ireland have a long history of not standing up to nazis. So tbf this isn’t that surprising…

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