https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/suzanne-breen/israeli-ambassador-row-showed-sinn-fein-may-not-be-as-radical-as-its-voters-think/a666636427.html
> *Party forced into humiliating climbdown after ignoring grassroots anger over Israel*
> Unprecedented pressure from republican grassroots led to a significant Sinn Fein U-turn this week.
> The party’s failure to support expelling the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, caused a wave of anger among its base that I’ve never before seen.
> The party’s failure to support expelling the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, caused a wave of anger among its base that I’ve never before seen.
> Sinn Fein’s compromises over the years have often stretched its supporters — yet it managed to bring them with it.
> Entering Stormont, signing up to policing, toasting the Queen, and attending King Charles’ coronation caused varying degrees of unease in the republican community, but the outrage over the ambassador was unparalleled. This wasn’t the rage of the usual suspects: Sinn Fein faced the wrath of those normally ultra-loyal to the party.
> Insiders said its offices were inundated with messages of protest. Some northern representatives told constituents contacting them that they hadn’t been consulted and couldn’t explain the new policy.
> Strong emotions were aired on social media. The tweets below are just a tiny sample:
> * “Sinn Fein play to the Irish-American lobby. Shameful. Don’t knock on my door again.”
* “As a Sinn Fein voter all my life, I find it shameful and stinks of self-interest. You either have the courage of your convictions or you don’t.”
* “As an extremely concerned north Belfast Sinn Fein voter, I urge you to step up efforts to do more than call for a ceasefire. I struggle to sleep at night thinking about what the Palestinians are having to endure. Waiting on death every night helpless.”
* “I have been supporting Sinn Fein for 50 years. I haven’t been waiting for a new Fianna Fail. Get the Israeli ambassador out of this country. We’ve had enough children mangled.”
> *[Sinn Fein accused of ‘Gaza sell-out’ over refusal to back expulsion of Israeli ambassadors](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/sinn-fein-accused-of-gaza-sell-out-over-refusal-to-back-expulsion-of-israeli-ambassadors/a413917272.html)*
> Sinn Fein had stridently supported the ambassador’s expulsion in the past so its base, and Palestinian campaigners, were stunned when it declined to do so amidst the current slaughter in Gaza.
> Its Belfast councillors had voted to kick out the ambassador in 2021 when violence was far less intense than it is now.
> Three years earlier, Gerry Adams, Pearse Doherty and numerous others called for an expulsion. Mary Lou McDonald was particularly vehement. The ambassador should “be sent packing” as a symbol that the Irish people weren’t “empty vessels” but backed up their words of condemnation with actions, she said.
> With 9,000 Palestinians dead, it was now Sinn Fein accused of speaking out of both sides of its mouth.
> Tweets from several representatives — including a very senior one — calling for the ambassador’s expulsion were deleted hours after going up. Party police were clearly on patrol.
> John Hurson from Tyrone, who has driven lorry loads of aid to Gaza and Ukraine, branded it a “sell out” so middle Ireland wasn’t scared of making Mary Lou taoiseach and President Biden wasn’t irked.
> Sinn Fein was choosing “those who walk the corridors of power in Washington over the innocents buried in the rubble of Gaza”, he said.
> The party had repeatedly called for the Russian ambassador’s removal last year, yet it abstained in votes on the Israeli ambassador’s expulsion in Derry and Strabane and Mid-Ulster councils.
> Grassroots’ anger peaked when it did the same in Belfast City Hall on Wednesday night as the SDLP, Greens and People Before Profit voted for expulsion with unionists and Alliance opposed. The votes of Sinn Fein’s 22 councillors would have carried the motion.
> On Thursday, People Before Profit’s four TDs and MLA Gerry Carroll published a letter appealing directly to Sinn Fein grassroots.
> It said the leadership’s position “does not reflect the views of many Sinn Fein members, including those who have been activists for a long time”. It added: “We call on those members, fraternally, not to go along with this reversal of a long-standing position. Send a message that Sinn Fein in government will stand with Palestinians.”
> On Thursday night, Sinn Fein again felt the heat after a pro-ceasefire tweet from TD David Cullinane.
> The Irish Republican Felons’ Association retweeted it, but added: “Yes and we want the expulsion of the Zionist ambassador.”
> The Felons is the voice of thousands of ex-republican prisoners. By Friday morning, its tweet had been deleted but, that afternoon, McDonald announced the Israeli ambassador’s position was “untenable” and she should “no longer enjoy diplomatic status”.
> Unionism and republicanism are piggy-backing on Middle East causes to inflate their own significance
> The republican base’s roar of disapproval had forced the leadership into reverse gear. The initial moderation of policy was likely influenced by fear of the American and Israeli response, particularly given the southern economy’s reliance on US big tech companies.
> As Sinn Fein edges closer to power in the Republic, the question is how many other surprises are coming down the tracks for supporters?
> The party’s willingness to so easily change course on Gaza suggests that those who expect it to deliver radical change in government could be deeply disappointed.
> **Suzanne Breen**
> Today at 07:00
by Diomas
10 comments
They’ll ‘stridently support’ anything that has no chance of happening.
Sinn Fein done something their supporters dont like.
Their voters told them they aren’t happy with them.
Sinn fein changed to do what their supporters want them to.
That’s how it’s ment to work.
“I struggle to sleep at night thinking about what the Palestinians are having to endure”
Aye, sure you do.
The opportunism and electioneering that came from some within the pro-Palestine movement was disgraceful, particularly from PBP and, more locally, dissident republicans.
It’s been consistently heard from Palestinians on the ground that expelling diplomats is a distraction and that what they need is a ceasefire, humanitarian aid and an end to blockades. None of the irrelevant parties who made noise over SF abstentions would know that, they aren’t engaged in dialogue with the Palestinian Authority or resistance.
While Sinn Féin were meeting ambassadors from countries in the middle east and north Africa to discuss the strategy of the international allies of Palestine, some were using the slaughter of Palestinians to score points against Sinn Féin. It was after this meeting that SF decided to announce that the Israeli ambassador’s position was untenable, yet Gerry Carrol continued to congratulate himself for apparently being a larger influence than numerous countries of the region.
Gerry Carrol and PBP can be as staunch as they like because they are an irrelevance. Elected PBP representatives were able to call the Hamas attack “a beautiful thing” because they have no prospect of ever being an important player locally, never mind on the international stage. Meanwhile it’s Sinn Féin who are actively engaged with Palestinian leaders, leaders of allied nations and leaders of enemy nations.
Yet again SF are being attacked from mutually exclusive angles. On the 8th October, they were Hamas supporters due to their meetings and engagements with Hamas leaders. Now they’re soft on Palestine, with claims as ridiculous as to suggest they’re U.S. stooges. Sinn Féin have supported Palestine since before any of these political entities existed.
What Buggermyelbow said. Spot on. Can’t knock SF appearing to start doing some of what they might be expected to do if they get power.
Another article from the Newsletter lite
People will be radically disappointed if they think $F will deliver radical politics when elected.
Radical? Fuck me the papers love it like don’t they
We can’t have them in government down here, they’d do too much economic harm. Essentially an extremist party with all the political nous of the student Union.
As idiotic as the DUP.
Terrorists supporting terrorism. Same old song from Sinn Fein/PIRA. They will never change.