Palestine support groups in Waterford welcome Council's motion in Israeli bonds
Some of the Waterford activists involved in support for Palestine groups
Local Palestine support groups in Waterford have warmly welcomed the passing of a motion by Waterford City and County Council calling on the Central Bank of Ireland to stop facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds.
The motion, which was proposed by Cllr Thomas Phelan (Labour) and seconded by his party colleagye, Cllr Seamus Ryan, read: 'Waterford City and County Council calls upon the Central Bank to take all possible steps to discontinue facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds'.
During the meeting while introducing the motion, Cllr. Phelan said: “When the history books are written, the people of Ireland, no more than the people of Waterford, will want to have taken every opportunity available to condemn what’s going on in Palestine.”
Meanwhile, Cllr Ryan spoke of the importance of Ireland taking every measure, be it small or large, to impress upon the Israeli government that its genocide in Palestine has to stop.
Over the past number of months local advocacy group Waterford for Palestine (WFP) has been in contact with individual elected Councillors, impressing upon them the importance of using every means at their disposal to help end the Israeli genocide in Gaza, including the issue of the Irish Central Bank facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds. Israeli government ministers have openly boasted that the sale of these bonds contributes directly to what they call their "war effort" in Gaza.
A spokesperson for WFP told Waterford News & Star: "We would like to thank and congratulate Waterford Council on passing this motion. The fact that it was passed unanimously shows that the members are obviously people of conscience who are listening to and representing their constituents' views. There seems to be a marked disconnect however, between some party representatives at national versus local level."
The spokesperson said that 'disconnect' was most evident in how local Government Ministers John Cummins (FG) and Mary Butler (FF) had voted in the Dáil to continue facilitating the sale of bonds despite the strong feelings of their constituents and their local Council on the matter. Meanwhile, Gaeil ar son Gaza (GASG) emailed all 32 Council members individually to thank them for their unanimous vote.
In their message they said: "On behalf of our many friends in Palestine and especially in Gaza, we'd like to thank you sincerely for your vote concerning the Central Bank facilitating sales of Israeli War Bonds at yesterday's Council meeting. Each such action is seen and is deeply appreciated by them."
Activists from WFP, GASG as well as the South East branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC South East) had a strong presence outside the Plenary meeting, and then moved in to sit in the public gallery and observe proceedings. They clapped enthusiastically when the motion was declared to be passed unanimously.
"Our weekly 'Bridgils' for Palestine continue to be held on the Greenway footbridge, over the N25 at Kilmacthomas, every Friday morning at 8.30am (park at the Coach House car park), while our next monthly 'Bridgil' in Dungarvan will be on Friday, July 4, from 8.30am to 9.15am," said the spokesperson.
To find out more about the organisations go to their social media pages at @waterfordforpalestine @gaeilarsongaza
