The IRSP shares the dismay and confusion of the vast majority of supporters of the oppressed Palestinian nation at the decision of the Sinn Féin party to meet with, greet and ultimately give legitimacy to the political forces behind the brutal occupation of Palestine.
In recent days representatives of the Palestinian resistance movement have appealed for Irish supporters of their cause to condemn in the strongest possible terms, Sinn Féin’s decision to court members of the extreme Zionist Likud party, as well as meeting with various representatives of the Occupying Israeli government in Ireland.
Our party endorses fully this position and the general opinion of Professor Haidar Eid of the al-Aqsa University.
As Irish Republicans, Socialists and internationalists we are angered that those claiming to represent the Irish struggle would attempt to give succour and legitimacy to those who endorse, plan and support the systematic murder of thousands of Palestinian people in their quest to establish an illegal Zionist regime.
It is nothing short of embarrassing that our comrades in Palestine would think that the actions of Sinn Féin are somehow representative of the thinking of the Irish people as a whole, they are not. We hold that symbolic Sinn Féin visits to Palestinian political figures or sporadic calls for a boycott cannot cover up that parties failure to uphold the principles of boycott when and where they matter most.
The IRSP assures those suffering in Palestine that our position is one of total rejection towards their oppressors; we endorse the principled position of boycott against Israeli goods, political representation, sporting and cultural expression.
Throughout decades of oppression in apartheid South Africa, the IRSP stood along with Sinn Féin in an effective campaign for a total boycott of all emanations of that regime, recognising that there can be no accommodation between justice and Facism.
We can only surmise on the political pressures which have now coerced Sinn Féin from that position in relation to occupation, apartheid and downright genocide in Palestine. We urge those within Sinn Féin who share our concerns to put immediate pressure on their leadership to ensure that party structures are no longer used by those who would provide oxygen of legitimacy to the brutal Zionist oppressors of Palestine.
