Michael Murphy

Ireland has a serious case of ‘keffiyeh brain’

Simon Harris (photo: Getty)

As Irish households glowed with lights and festive cheer ahead of Christmas day, the Taoiseach of Ireland made time for a cordial call with Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority. Simon Harris assured Abbas that the plight of Gazans weighed heavily on Irish minds, reaffirming his country’s ‘unbreakable’ support. 

‘Ireland once again calls for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza,’ read a statement from Harris’s office. ‘Despite the humanitarian catastrophe and unconscionable loss of life in 2024, peace fuelled by a two-state solution must be the goal of the world community in 2025.’

No doubt, Harris saw the conversation as a diplomatic win. Dublin nodded vaguely to ceasefires and peace, and earned praise for recognising a Palestinian state, the government and borders of which remain a mystery to all parties involved. But why fuss over details? As Harris cooed, there’s ‘never a wrong time to do the right thing.’

Be that as it may, there is a wrong time to do the wrong thing.

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