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Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an “obstacle” in a two-state solution between Israel and Gaza and said he should resign. In an interview with RTÉ’s Six One News during a visit to Ireland, Pelosi spoke about the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Netanyahu’s deadly counteroffensive that has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health officials. “We recognize Israel’s right to protect itself. We reject the policy and the practice of Netanyahu,” she said. “Terrible. What could be worse than what he has done in response?” “He should...

Irish folklore has many mythical characters such as the banshees or Tir na nOg, but according to one man Leprechauns are 100 per cent real. Kevin Woods, recognised as Ireland’s one and only leprechaun whisperer, recently shared astonishing claims on Ireland AM. During the broadcast, Woods, who comes from Carlingford, County Louth and affectionately known as McCoillte, shared some of the secrets involving leprechauns and their long history which has become intertwined with human spirits. Is British wine the next big thing? According to woods’ official website: ‘He talks to the 236 leprechauns that still exist there. They are affectionately...

Ireland is close to formally recognizing a Palestinian state and would like to do so in concert with Spain and other like-minded countries, its new prime minister Simon Harris said on Friday after meeting his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, reported the Reuters news agency. “Let me this evening say our assessment is that that point is coming much closer and we would like to move together in doing so,” Harris said after meeting Sanchez, the first premier to visit Dublin since Harris became prime minister this week. “When we move forward, we would like to do so with as many...

Earlier today, locals protesting against a refugee centre in Coolock, Dublin were confronted by leftist journalists and other antifa types. Here are the facts as we understand them from local first-hand sources in Coolock. We will be updating this article as more details are established:A small group of men arrived in the afternoon of Saturday April 6th to the old Crown Paints Factory in Coolock which is being picketed by locals opposing the plantation of up to 1000 asylum seekers there. They arrived to counterprotest and take footageAccording to video and our sources, the men were told to leave as...

The public has been repulsed by the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, incoming Taoiseach (prime minister) Simon Harris has said. Mr. Harris said that Ireland stands ready to recognize the Palestinian state while calling for a two-state solution. In his keynote speech at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis* in Galway, the Fine Gael leader said the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened “before our eyes” and Ireland cannot stay silent on the actions of Israel. “We condemn the massacre carried out by Hamas in October and again call for the release of all hostages,” Mr Harris said....

The number of people seeking international protection in Ireland in the first three months of this year has risen by more than 2,000 compared to the same time last year. Figures from the Department of Justice show 5,163 people applied for international protection up to 28 March. This represents a rise of 2,170, or 72%, from the same period of time last year when 2,993 applications were made by 28 March 2023. More than one third of those who have applied for international protection so far this year are from Nigeria (1,668) while 416 are from Bangladesh, 400 from Pakistan,...

The Government is going to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, will update the Cabinet that he has directed officials to prepare a Declaration of Intervention. If approved by the Government, this will be filed at the court in The Hague for the case against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention. It is not clear yet what points of law Ireland will reply upon for its intervention. …

Focus Ireland is hoping to help thousands of homeless people to register to vote ahead of the local and European elections in June. Focus Ireland’s director of advocacy, Mike Allen, said that there are around 9,500 homeless adults in Ireland and many of them would not be registered to vote. The charity is now hoping to change that as voting registration was simplified after the Electoral Reform Act was passed in 2022. More than 50,000 Irish people have spent at least one night of their lives homeless, according to figures published by Focus Ireland. …

Chief Executive of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association has described an increase in thefts last year — driven mainly by robberies from shops — as “frightening”. Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Vincent Jennings said it is not just just the thefts that are concerning, but the associated incidents — such as assaults, assaults causing harm, drunkenness, misogynistic and hateful comments being made to staff and public order offenses. Annual crime figures released by the Central Statistics Office show there was a significant increase in theft offenses last year. Almost half of the more than 74,000 thefts and related...

LONDON (AP) – Ireland is poised to get its youngest-ever premier after Simon Harris secured the leadership of the Fine Gael party on Sunday, replacing Leo Varadkar who announced his surprise resignation last week. The 37-year-old Harris, who is the government’s further and higher education minister, was the only candidate to put his name forward to succeed Varadkar, who had been Ireland’s previous youngest prime minister, or what Ireland calls its taoiseach.

Ireland, Spain, Malta and Slovenia standing ready to recognize the Palestine state has given Palestinians “hope,” its ambassador has said. Earlier, in a joint-statement, the four countries’ prime ministers said they were ready to recognize the Palestine state when the “circumstances are right”. The Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, welcomed the statement, describing it as “promising news”. She said it might only be a few EU countries, but that Ireland is “leading” the way and she expressed thanks for “all the Irish efforts”. …

In 2017, Varadkar became the first gay prime minister of the once-staunchly Catholic country and the youngest person to hold the office. He returned to the premiership in 2022 under a rotation arrangement struck between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, the two largest parties in a three-party coalition with the smaller Green Party. Varadkar's government has overseen a sharp economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic but has struggled to tackle a decade-long housing crisis and more recently the pressure on services from record numbers of asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees. He also suffered an embarrassing referendum defeat this month when...

President Biden met with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar Friday, where the leader said he thinks there should be a cease-fire “as soon as possible” between Israel and Hamas. Varadkar said he was “keen” to speak with Biden about the war in Gaza, as the two leaders met at the White House to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. “You know, my – my view that we need to have a cease-fire as soon as possible to get food and medicine in, to get the hostages out,” Varadkar said. Biden interjected, saying “And I agree.” The Prime Minister continued, saying he and...

Former president Mary Robinson has called on the Taoiseach (prime minister) to urge the US to end its military and financial support for Israel during his meeting with Joe Biden at the White House. Leo Varadkar this afternoon met US President Joe Biden, with Ukraine, Gaza, Northern Ireland and the economic outlook on the agenda. The chairwoman of the Elders group said the focus should not be on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but on political responses to it. Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Mrs. Robinson said: “Yes, the humanitarian situation is utterly catastrophic and dire, reducing a people...

Taoiseach (Ireland prime minister) Leo Varadkar has started his visit to Washington DC at the Ireland Funds gala dinner last night, where he told the audience that Europe and America have a responsibility to bring an end to the injustices in the Holy Land. The event was also addressed by the First and Deputy First Minster of Northern Ireland. The Ireland Funds gala raised $1.2 million for the work of the fund, supporting cross community and cross border projects in Ireland. […] “The brutal and indiscriminate attacks carried out by Hamas on Israeli civilians on 7 October were vicious terrorist...

President Michael D. Higgins has issued a blistering critique of the situation in Gaza, saying it is scandalous that humanitarian aid and medical supplies are being blocked from entering the coastal strip. He added that those nations responsible for allowing the blockade to continue “must take responsibility for the deaths that are ensuing”. The President also criticized a “propaganda campaign” against the United Nations and called on countries to increase aid for the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA). Several countries, including the US and UK, have paused funding for the relief agency in Gaza following claims from Israel that some...

Irish military aircraft are to be dispatched to the Middle East to help get vital humanitarian aid into Gaza, under plans being considered by the Government. Under the proposals, Ireland will work with Jordan to air drop emergency humanitarian supplies into the region which is at risk of widespread famine due to the ongoing Israeli assault. The move follows similar operations carried out by the United States and Jordan last weekend. Under the plans being considered by Government, the Department of Foreign Affairs will work with military officials to transport aid into Jordan, which will then be parachuted into Gaza....

Air-dropping aid into Gaza was among several issues recently discussed between Ireland and Jordan, the Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed. A spokesperson for the department told RTÉ News that “Ireland is open to considering the option of airdrops of humanitarian assistance, and this is among several issues that have been raised in recent contacts at political and official level between Ireland and Jordan”. However, the spokesperson said that initiatives such as air-dropping aid into Gaza “must not distract from the urgent need to dramatically scale up the level of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza by land”. “Full, safe and unhindered...

President Michael D. Higgins has appealed to countries that have withdrawn funding from a relief agency in Gaza to “think again” and provide support to help avoid a “catastrophe”. Several countries have frozen funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) while a review of Israeli allegations that some of its staff took part in the Hamas attack on 7 October is under way. UNRWA has 13,000 staff in Gaza and helps to educate 30,000 children. In a statement released today, Mr. Higgins urged the countries, including the UK and Germany, to revoke their decision. Mr....

Ireland has told the UN’s top court that states are obliged to co-operate to bring an end to “Israel’s serious breach” of its duty to respect the rights of Palestinian people. Irish Attorney General Rossa Fanning said states are obliged not to render aid or assistance in maintaining this situation. He said it was Ireland’s view that all states are required to review trading relationships with settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, requiring them to take steps to prevent trade which maintains settlement activity or implicitly legitimises Israel’s annexation of that territory. The proceedings follow a December 2022 resolution of...