WELCOME TO POLICY Matters, a series from The Journal that takes a deep dive into the ideas and solutions proposed by Ireland’s politicians on some of the biggest issues of the day.
As part of the series, The Journal sits down with different spokespeople from across Ireland’s political parties to take a deeper look at what they believe needs to be done across key policy areas.
This week, we sat down with the Social Democrats spokesperson on foreign affairs Gary Gannon where the conversation centred on Gaza and Israel.
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EACH OF THE Social Democrat’s six TDs carry the weight of fairly hefty briefs.
Gannon, a TD for Dublin Central since 2020, acts as the party’s spokesperson on education, higher education, arts, social protection, foreign affairs and defence.
But in the months since Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October, Gannon is probably best known for being the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson.
Since then, Israel and Gaza have dominated his party’s foreign affairs priorities.
And for a small party, the Social Democrats have managed to exert pressure on the Government in a not insignificant way.
That was evident last week when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told reporters that “a lot of us” in Ireland believe Israel may be in breach of the human rights clause of the EU-Israel trade agreement.
His comments came after months of both Gannon and Social Democrats’ leader Holly Cairns raising the trade agreement in the Dáil and asking the Taoiseach to demand that it be suspended.
This move officially came earlier this week, when the Taoiseach and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen requesting an urgent review of the trade agreement.
“What the Social Democrats have tried to do is to demonstrate to the Government where we could act,” Gannon told The Journal.
Since 7 October, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has stressed that it is better for Ireland to act multilaterally with other partners, particularly the EU, when it comes to Gaza.
Gannon said the Social Democrats fundamentally disagree with this position and believe the Irish Government can show “real leadership” by acting on its own.
He gives the example of calling for the Israeli ambassador Dana Erlich to be expelled from Ireland in protest at the state’s actions in Gaza, something the Government has refused to do despite significant pressure from opposition parties.
The Government has continued to argue that maintaining diplomatic lines to Israel is preferable to severing ties to the Israeli state.
Gannon said the Government should now demonstrate the merits of that decision.
“What has been your engagement with the ambassador in the weeks and months that have followed?
“The Government has been so adamant that keeping those diplomatic lines open is important. But let them show us the proof. Show us what that results have been over the last couple of months,” Gannon said.
In addition to calling for the ambassador to be expelled and for the EU to reexamine the EU-Israel trade agreement, the Social Democrats have also called for Ireland to support South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
On a domestic level, the party has also called for the Government to progress the Occupied Territories Bill.
“We have a range of measures that if you’re not going to do this, well, then you can do that. I think we’re seeing the fruits of that now,” Gannon said.
In the past few weeks, the Government – and Sinn Féin – have faced calls to boycott Ireland’s annual visit to the Whitehouse on St Patrick’s Day in protest of America’s financial backing of Israel.
People Before Profit in particular has argued that to do so would send an important message of support to Gazans if nothing else.
Where do the Social Democrats fall on the matter?
Gannon said it is a decision for both the Government and Sinn Féin to make on their own.
I’m not going to get involved in that.
“If they’re going to go, go. But don’t go and do the doff capping and the begorrah politics. Be assertive and don’t be deferential,” Gannon said.
Gannon added that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar should “lay it out clearly” to the Dáil ahead of the trip, what he plans to say to Joe Biden in relation to Israel and Gaza.
“And the same goes for Sinn Féin, too. If you’re going to go make sure that when you’re speaking to your conservative, Republican donors, that you’re also outlining to them, that the Irish people – if they claim to share a heritage with us – the Irish people demands of them, that they stopped the slaughter in Gaza,” Gannon said.
Another prominent feature of the discourse surrounding what people can do to support Gaza has focused on boycotts of non-political events like the Eurovision and more recently, the Irish women’s basketball team’s game against Israel.
Gannon said he fully supports such boycott calls.
“Boycott is an Irish tradition. Boycott is a genuine Irish tradition that was started here during the land leagues,” Gannon said.
He added that he understands the love people have for the Eurovision but that he personally won’t be able to enjoy it this year because of Israel’s participation.
Earlier this week, a poll from The Journal and Ireland Thinks found that three-in-four Irish young people feel that the European Union’s standing has been damaged because of the bloc’s response to the current conflict in Gaza.
Gannon, who unsuccessfully contested the European elections in 2019, agrees that the European project has been damaged as a result.
“I’m somebody who’s a very proud European. When I ran in 2019, I took the decision with my team that we were going to run a very pro-European campaign, which isn’t always the case from the Left.
“But I think what the EU has done towards Israel at the moment, has eroded a lot of confidence in it. And there’s a job of work to be done there to rebuild it,” Gannon said.
“For me, it is something that has tempered that kind of love of Europe,” he added.
When asked if we expect a European run from Gannon again anytime soon he said not this time, but he wouldn’t rule it out in the future.
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