Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and Labour have all confirmed they will support two Dáil motions due next week calling for Ireland’s upcoming senior men’s football international against Israel to be called off.
Asked by RTÉ News as they separately arrived at the Tressell left wing festival at the RDS in Dublin yesterday, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Labour leader Ivana Bacik and Social Democrats TD Sinead Gibney all said the match should not take place.
Deputy McDonald, whose party will table its motion on Tuesday, said “there is no support for the Irish soccer team to play under our tricolour” against Israel while “a genocide takes place”, saying it would be “unconscionable and unspeakable”.
She said the match should also not take place in any neutral venue, as the position being taken is that “no one should be playing the Israeli football team”.
Deputy Bacik said her party “has consistently said this game should not go ahead” as there continues to be “grave and serious violations of international law” and a “genocide in Gaza”, saying her party will support both the Sinn Féin motion on Tuesday and the Social Democrats motion on Wednesday.
Social Democrats TD Sinead Gibney said her party does not want the match to take place, saying about the Social Democrats motion “it’s far from symbolic, we’ve had two and a half years of absolute devastation broadcast on our screens”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin earlier said he would hate to see the Ireland football team lose out on future qualification prospects, if the match between Ireland and Israel did not go ahead.
Mr Martin said he understands how challenging the issue is for people and how challenging it is for those involved in sport.
“I don’t think we should always reduce the issue to one particular game or one particular event,” he said.
“Football has been on the up in more recent times and I would hate to see the team lose out on future qualification prospects.”
The Taoiseach said the Government will vote next week when it sees the motions in their entirety.
Mr Martin said Ireland has taken a strong stance in support of Palestine including recognising the state and its people’s right to self-determination.