The student encampment in Trinity College showed that ‘people power’ can force through a policy of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions on Israel.
Trinity has promised to break links with Israel and the example is spreading to other colleges.
The government has a deeply hypocritical attitude to Israel’s murderous genocide. On the one hand, it condemns Israel and promises to recognise the state of Palestine. But on the other hand, it encourages growing trade links with Israel.
Ireland’s exports to Israel of restricted “dual-use” goods that have potential military purposes grew nearly sevenfold last year from €11m to more than €70m
Israel is now Ireland’s seventh-biggest source of goods imports. In 2022, €4.8bn of goods were bought from Israel, mostly electronic circuits.
This also means Ireland is now Israel’s fourth-largest export market, after the US, China and Palestine.
We need to push through a full boycott of Israel.
The next step is electing people to local councils who commit in advance to stop all tenders to companies doing business with Israel. For example, no council should have any dealings with Hewlett Packard, who sell computers to Israeli occupation forces and provide services to the police and prisons.
From the colleges to the councils make Ireland an apartheid free zone.
