By Nurah Tape – The Palestine Chronicle  

Pledging Sinn Fein’s dedication to the sovereignty “of all people”, Kearney said “Israel’s genocide, ethnic cleansing, collective punishment and settler colonialism may yet become a seminal point for global diplomacy and how it is conducted.”

Ireland’s Sinn Fein chairperson Declan Kearney has said that Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza “has laid bare the moral hypocrisy of the big Western powers.”

“Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza, its aggression in the West Bank, and the collective punishment and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people have posed explicit questions, specifically for that cartel of Western governments which control the global North,” Kearney said in his speech at the first Global Anti-Apartheid Conference on Palestine held in Johannesburg, South Africa from May 10 – 12.

“Their stances on Palestine are absolutely untenable, from opposition and equivocation to the calling for a ceasefire, to continuing to fund and arm the Israeli war and murder regime, and refusing to enforce sanctions,” he stressed. “These positions are absolutely incompatible with universal democratic principles, multilateralism and peaceful coexistence.”

‘History Did Not Start on Oct 7’

The party’s national chairperson stated, “History did not commence on the 7th October, but that date has now become a watershed, not only for Palestine itself but for the global community.”

He said it has “raised existential questions and issues for the most powerful states in this world,” and for global multilateral institutions about “how international law is being implemented and how the dynamics of our multipolar world are democratically managed.”

Pledging Sinn Fein’s dedication to the sovereignty “of all people”, Kearney said “Israel’s genocide, ethnic cleansing, collective punishment and settler colonialism may yet become a seminal point for global diplomacy and how it is conducted.”

He said the Irish Republican party brings “a struggle perspective to how we engage in the world.”

"Western powers' positions are absolutely incompatible with universal democratic principles, multilateralism and peaceful coexistence.

"Israel's genocide, ethnic cleansing, collective punishment and settler colonialism may yet become a seminal point for global diplomacy and how… pic.twitter.com/eJ1axsv0Yk

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 16, 2024

Student Movements

Kearney commended students’ actions, particularly in the US, but also in Ireland, Britain and Europe, saying they “are reminiscent of the student campaigns against the Vietnam War.”

He said students in the United States “have now ensured that Gaza and Palestine are at the heart of the US presidential election campaign. The inherent contradictions within Israeli society have never been more sharply exposed.”

The Sinn Fein leader pointed out that “Even though key Western powers have taken outrageous positions in backing Israel, because it serves as a proxy to secure their security and their economic interests in the Middle East, the fact is that the West and Europe are not monolithic.”

He emphasized, “A properly calibrated global anti-apartheid strategy can affect and maximize opportunities within that evolving context. There is now a moment. A strategic and political opportunity is emerging.”

In my closing address to the ‘Global Anti-Apartheid Campaign Conference’ in Johannesburg I recited verses from Bobby Sands’ poem the ‘Rhythm of Time’ to emphasise that the Palestinian people, & all of us who stand with them, are ‘right!’! 🇵🇸🇮🇪🇿🇦https://t.co/9vNfMwlK8M pic.twitter.com/RAzxO6rBuJ

— Declan Kearney (@DeclanKearneySF) May 15, 2024

Kearney concluded his talk with a reading of the poem by Bobby Sands, who died of a hunger strike on May 5, 1981, while imprisoned in Northern Ireland for the Irish Republic Army’s armed campaign against the British government.

The opening stanza of the poem reads:

“There’s an inner thing in every man,
Do you know this thing my friend?
It has withstood the blows of a million years,
And will do so to the end.”

Sinn Fein and ANC Relations

Kearney was one of many influential speakers from across civil society, governments, religious organizations and solidarity movements who addressed the conference.

Other speakers included Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation; Yvonne Dausab, Namibia’s Justice Minister; Mustafa Barghouti, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council; and Dr Ahmet Davutoğlu, the former Turkish Prime Minister.

The Conference Declaration vowed “to ensure Israel and those complicit in its genocide are held accountable (and) to support the struggle for the liberation of the Palestinian people.”

‘End Israeli Apartheid’ – Naledi Pandor Urges Progressive Forces to Push for Palestinians’ Rights 

During his visit to South Africa, Kearney met with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“We discussed Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza. This onslaught and entire apartheid system and illegal occupation of Palestine must be ended. A permanent ceasefire must be agreed immediately,” he said.

Kearney added that he also commended the President for South Africa’s courageous ICJ case against Israel and we pledged to continue working to end the genocide in, and occupation of Palestine.”

He said they also discussed “deepening fraternal relations between Sinn Fein and the ANC.”

‘We Commend South Africa, Demand Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza’ – Irish Leader

In February, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire and adherence to international law in the conflict. She also reportedly reiterated Sinn Fein’s support for the recognition of the Palestinian State within the borders of 1967. #palestineafrica2024

(The Palestine Chronicle)