Irish Prime Minister Condemns U.S. Support of Israel during St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations
The former Irish Prime Minister challenged the Biden Administration’s ongoing support of Israel amid the Israel-Hamas conflict during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at the White House
Former Irish Prime Minister (PM) Leo Varadkar—who resigned on March 21—condemned the Biden Administration’s ongoing support of Israel in the current Israel-Hamas conflict during his annual St. Patrick’s Day visit on March 15.
While St. Patrick’s Day is typically filled with festive celebrations from shamrock decorations to green ties, former Irish PM Varadkar seized the opportunity this year to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and express empathy for suffering Palestinians. Varadkar said that Irish sympathy for the Palestinian people dates back to their own history of dispossession. Varadkar stated that “the Irish people are deeply troubled about the catastrophe that’s unfolding before our eyes in Gaza,” and called the United States to action: “President Biden, one of your country’s most sacred promises is to defend the principles of democracy and freedom against tyranny and oppression.”
Many Irish citizens, like Varadkar, view the suffering of Palestinian people in Gaza as a reflection of Irish history. Ireland was a British colony until 1922. During the period of colonization, Irish people were subject to brutality by the British Empire, with any act of Irish rebellion resulting in violent suppression. For example, during the Easter Rising of 1916, the British army executed a number of rebel leaders during their fight for Irish independence.
Furthermore, the Northern Irish “Troubles” raged from 1968-1998 between Protestant unionists, who wished to remain part of the United Kingdom, and Roman Catholic nationalists, who wanted Northern Ireland to be free from British rule. David Chambers, an Irish podcaster, correlates the oppression of protesters during Bloody Sunday to the shooting of a Palestinian man waving a white flag. These similar experiences with oppression and the fight for independence may be the reason why Ireland is one of the most pro-Palestine countries in the world.
During his visit to the White House, Varadkar also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and demanded that the hostages taken on October 7 be returned. He stated that “the people of Gaza desperately need food, medicine and shelter. Most especially they need the bombs to stop. This has to stop. On both sides.”
The United States is one of Israel’s closest allies, having granted them around 300 billion dollars since 1946. Israel is the only country receiving over 200 billion dollars of U.S. aid. Despite close ties persisting between the United States and Israel and U.S. military assistance continuing to support Israel’s Defense Military, President Biden has begun to condemn Israel’s role in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There has been extensive public concern over the mass bombings in Gaza that have killed over 25,000 Palestinians, a majority of whom were civilians.
Varadkar’s speech condemning U.S. military aid toward Israel and mass bombing along the Gaza strip was one of his last as Irish PM, as he unexpectedly resigned on March 21. As of March 24, Simon Harris, the new PM in waiting, is to be voted into office on April 9. At 37, Harris will be Ireland’s youngest prime minister; he had previously planned to run for President in March 2025. Harris said that he will lead “a party that is unafraid to speak the truth to power about the humanitarian catastrophe we are witnessing in Gaza and to voice in no uncertain terms the moral outrage of the Irish people.”