SINN FÉIN WAS accused last month by the Tánaiste Micheál Martin of being “silent” and “two-sided” on the Palestine question in the US.
His comments came before the St Patrick’s Day trip to Washington DC by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Northern Ireland’s new leaders, as well as Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
While there were calls from People Before Profit for the Taoiseach to boycott the White House over the support the US was giving to Israel, there were also calls for Sinn Féin politicians not to go stateside either.
The Taoiseach and McDonald found themselves singing off the same hymn sheet for once.
Both made the argument that they would speak out and use the opportunity to highlight the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.
While the pressure was on the Taoiseach throughout the week-long visit to the States to mention Palestine in pretty much every speech he gave, no matter what the occasion, it became clear early on that Sinn Féin did not feel obligated to do the same – not loudly in a public forum, anyway.
Varadkar and First Minister Michelle O’Neill both gently mentioned the conflict while addressing the Ireland Funds Gala dinner event, a fundraiser that demands $1,000 per plate.
O’Neill, alongside Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, made remarks at the gala, delivering a message that Northern Ireland is “open for business”. Not the last time we would hear that mantra on the trip.
O’Neill only made passing remarks about the Middle East, in a more understated manner than would be typical of Sinn Fein on the issue of Palestine back home.
O’Neill said she enjoys the deep relationship she has with the US administration, adding:
I encourage that same constructive, critical partnership in terms of what is happening in the Middle East.
That was it. Nothing further to add on the matter.
It was surprising to say the least that such a muted one-liner would be said by a Sinn Féin member, particularly as the event, attended by hundreds of high-powered politicos would have been a prime opportunity to speak out.
The party has a long history of speaking out to raise the plight of the Palestinians.
The Palestinian ambassador and representatives have often been guests at party Ard Fheiseanna over the years, such as this year.
However, early on in the trip, O’Neill stated in an interview that the main purpose of her visit as joint head of the devolved executive in Belfast was to seek investment for Northern Ireland.
Though she also added she would raise the issue of Gaza in a personal capacity.
“Our priority here in terms of our executive is in terms of the investment piece and about the political engagement,” she said.
“Personally, I will use the opportunity to talk to anybody that I can talk to in terms of the course of this visit to raise the issue of the fact that one of the most successful US foreign policies has been actually the Irish peace process, and their role in that, their constructive role in terms of being a strong partner for peace.
And I will be urging the president and others to encourage them to take that same approach in terms of the Middle East.
“Because, ultimately, I think what everybody wants to see is a ceasefire and aid to the people and that we get to a political solution and it needs to happen with urgency,” she said.
With the institutions back up and running in the North, perhaps the argument could be made that it has constrained the Sinn Féin message coming through, due to the Executive not having an agreed policy position on Gaza.
But there was nothing to stop the party leader from speaking out publicly.
The travelling media pack requested a media opportunity with the Sinn Féin leader – as she has done in previous US trips – but instead reporters were forced to doorstep McDonald at the gala dinner.
The Journal questioned McDonald on why the platform at the Ireland Funds dinner, in front of hundreds of powerful men and women in American politics, was not utilised by O’Neill.
She said at every level within the US administration Sinn Féin has set out “very, very clearly the Irish position and it’s been well understood and well received”.
She said straightforward conversations with those in power in the US were “ongoing”, however much of this appeared to be behind closed doors rather than on stage or in public speeches.
“I also feel a huge sense of responsibility to do everything that I possibly can to bring about a ceasefire, to advocate on behalf of the people of Palestine and I will talk to anyone, I will talk to the devil himself, to bring about a halt to the killing of children in Gaza. That’s my job,” she told The Journal.
McDonald did give a speech on the Washington DC trip at Georgetown University, where she outlined again that throughout the week she had been speaking to leaders on Capitol Hill and to the US Administration about the ongoing slaughter in Gaza.
What is happening in Gaza is the gravest human rights violations of our time. Happening before the eyes of the world.
“We cannot say we didn’t hear, that we didn’t see, that we didn’t know. Our children and our grandchildren will one day look at us and ask how this was allowed to happen, and why the international community was so slow to respond,” she said.
“In Ireland, we know the pain of conflict but we also know the value of hard won peace. The achievement of the Good Friday Agreement shows that no conflict is intractable, that peace is always possible and peace must now be the shared will of the international community,” McDonald added, stating that US leaders must now push unequivocally for an immediate full, permanent ceasefire.
Notably strong words, but probably an easier speech to make in front of a college campus and academics rather than the real powerbrokers, who really hold all the levers.
On Tuesday, McDonald also met with Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and said they jointly called for “a ceasefire, an end to occupation and a free Palestine.”
So, it would not be fair to say that McDonald didn’t raise the issue at all while in the US, but there is a question as to why the matter was not more to the fore throughout all the engagements.
As stated above, the focus from a Sinn Féin perspective was to keep the message on Northern Ireland and reiterate that it is ‘open for business’.
Throughout the week, O’Neill and Little-Pengelly made pitches to politicians and businesspeople that there were considerable opportunities created by Northern Ireland’s “unique” dual market access.
It is eight years since a first and deputy first minister have been together in Washington for the St Patrick’s programme, so it was always going to be something that was lauded and applauded, which it was.
Prior to meeting the US President Joe Biden, O’Neill vowed to press him to replicate the “constructive role” the US played in Northern Ireland in its approach to the conflict in the Middle East.
However, speaking after the meeting on Sunday, O’Neill acknowledged that the aim of the US trip was “to seek out investors and companies and showcase everything Northern Ireland has to offer”.
Before flying home, McDonald chatted to Sky News and did say the Middle East was at “a tipping point” and “words are not enough” from the United States.
However, there is no doubt Sinn Féin supporters might be scratching their heads when reflecting on the week gone by.
They will be wondering whether it was an opportunity wasted by the party, whereby not enough was said out loud in a public forum about a cause that has been so close to the heart of the party for many years.
One thing that will definitely rile up Sinn Féin supporters – the fact that Fine Gael’s Varadkar had stronger words to say publicly on the issue.
It is a rarity to be able to state that Varadkar was actually stronger than Sinn Féin this week when it came to Palestine.
When evaluating the shamrock ceremony speech given by the Taoiseach on Sunday to the passing references made by that of O’Neill and even McDonald on this trip, there is no doubt that both party leaders can expect criticisms.
And at a time when the party leader has said there is a need to reflect on why Sinn Féin might be seeing a dip in the polls of late, this might well be one of the reasons she can point to.
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