Protests as Taoiseach-elect made to wait for Seal of Office

A blistering row over speaking time in the Dublin parliament has frustrated the new government’s attempt to approve its revamped political agenda, including a controversial plan to dishonour its pre-election promises on the issue of Palestine.

A vote for a new Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin, was suspended overnight following chaotic scenes in the Dáil.

The running order of the day was halted by a concerted and unified protest by the Opposition over a move to grant speaking time to four Independent TDs who are supporting the government, but are sitting on the Opposition benches.

Proceedings were suspended twice because of the din raised by furious TDs, particularly by Sinn Féin and People before Profit. A late attempt to proceed with the appointment of the Taoiseach was entirely drowned out amid confusion over what was taking place, before the Dáil sitting had to be abandoned.

When officially formed, probably later on Thursday, the new government will again be headed by the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties of the previous coalition, but instead of the Green Party, it is now propped up by a group of nine independents, five of whom have been rewarded with junior Ministries. It is the status of the other four which caused Wednesday’s meltdown and delayed the normal formalities.

More seriously, in their Programme for Government, published last week, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael quietly reneged on, or watered down o promises made in their election manifesto.

As the parliament raged over Dáil standing orders, a large and voluble protest over the government u-turn on the Occupied Territories Bill took place outside. The legislation, to combat abuses by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian West Bank, had been an agreed policy of all the main parties before the election, but has now been largely abandoned by the incoming government.

‘Taoiseach-in-waiting’ Micheál Martin has claimed it is unconstitutional. “Virtually every section of that bill will have to be amended. So the issue is whether we have a new bill,” he said on Sunday.

However, there were reports the real motivation to scrap the bill is because of fears it would harm the government’s relations with supporters of Israel in the new Trump administration - even as Israel has been using a ceasefire in Gaza to create open prisons and carrying out killings in the occupied West Bank.

Ogra Shinn Féin described it as a “shameful betrayal”.

“FF and FG were never serious about the Occupied Territories Bill,” they tweeted. “When the history books are written, let these politicians be listed among the quislings of Ireland’s story.”

The Taoiseach has also been condemned for a surprise attempt to introduce a false definition of anti-semitism that includes criticism of Israel as anti-semitic.

His endorsement last week of the widely criticised definition has given the Israeli ambassador Dana Erlich, who has briefly returned to Dublin, the opportunity to describe a swathe of Irish politicians as anti-semitic.

Among them are the President of Ireland and the outgoing Taoiseach Simon Harris, both of whom have criticised Israel in recent months.

Amnesty International said the sudden move by Micheál Martin to endorse the definition as “deeply regrettable”.

“It’s been weaponised elsewhere to undermine freedom of expression and suppress criticism of Israeli authorities’ human rights violations. The new government must reconsider this,” they said.

Sinn Féin TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said the definition had already been “unanimously” rejected by the Dublin parliament and described it as an “appalling” action, while People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett it had been widely used to “shut down” criticism of Israel’s apartheid system and occupation of Palestine.

Thousands of people turned out for pro-Palestine rallies in Belfast and Derry last Saturday to remember the tens of thousands of people who have been killed by Israel since October 2022.

The demonstration in Belfast to BBC House was branded a “March against BBC Silence” over the broadcaster’s biased pro-Israeli coverage of the conflict.

Around a thousand people also attended a separate rally in Derry on Saturday. Showing their support to the people of Palestine, protesters lay dead on the street.

Supported by over 150 Irish civil society organisations, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called another National Demonstration for Palestine in Dublin this Saturday, January 25th.

It said the march will begin at the Garden of Remembrance and finish outside the Dáil “to bring our demands to the Irish government’s doorstep”.

“By 25th January there will likely be a new government in place, and we need to let them know that that we are done with excuses,” they said.

“We need to tell the new government we want the Occupied Territories Bill, the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill, and the Arms Embargo Bill passed, and end to the use of Irish airports and airspace to transfer weapons, we want Israel kicked out of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the breaking diplomatic relations. In short, we want sanctions now.”

Urgent Appeal