Four Galway academics have signed an open letter urging the government to suspend trade with Israel
Declan Coogan and Su-Ming Khoo from University of Galway and Marie Finnegan and Brian O'Boyle of ATU are among 160 signatories from 11 universities and key policy sectors
The letter says the suspension must continue until a permanent ceasefire is established in Gaza and humanitarian aid is allowed to flow freely.
The signatories describe Israel’s ongoing military campaign as a "well-televised genocide" and say Ireland can no longer remain complicit through continued economic ties.
The letter is being formally delivered to government leaders, and the text of it is below:
Text of Open Letter
As academics and experts in business and the social sciences, we are appalled by the unfolding horrors in Gaza, and have come together to recommend more urgent action by the Irish government. The response of Israel to the terrible Hamas attack on October 7th, 2023 is by now a well-televised genocide, and more targeted action by the Irish government is required.
We recommend an immediate halt to trade with Israel until a permanent ceasefire is established together with open access to humanitarian aid. This is not simply a symbolic action; data from Trading Economics show that Ireland is a significant destination for exports from Israel. An immediate cessation of this trade will have impact, and is one way Ireland can take further action towards ending the suffering in Gaza.
A strategic pause to this trade will have short-term economic consequences in Ireland. However, it is morally repugnant to enrich ourselves as a country by turning a blind eye to well-documented suffering in Gaza. We cannot in all humanity fail to take the actions that are open to us and so we, the undersigned, call on the Irish government:
(a) to put in place an immediate pause to trade with Israel pending a permanent ceasefire and aid delivery in accordance with international humanitarian principles; and
(b) to pursue every avenue open to them to expand this action to the EU as a whole.
