Catherine Connolly’s inauguration as President of Ireland on Tuesday will represent a clear victory for Europe’s progressive politicians.
One of the hallmarks of Ms Connolly’s campaign was her strong support and empathy for the Palestinian cause. Her record in this area was clear to the Irish public and one of the main reasons that her victory was sealed well before the actual vote last month.
The veteran left-wing lawyer’s campaign for the presidency, a traditionally passive role designed to ensure ceremonial dignity, was not without controversy. She questioned the government of the day on why there had been no sanctions by Ireland on Israel over its record in the Gaza war. She rejected pressure to support any post-ceasefire arrangement that excludes Hamas. She even defended the group’s role as part of the fabric of Palestinian society.
It is not just in Ireland that being on the Palestinian side has been good politics on the continent. The issue has galvanised voters across age and class groups. It has also mobilised young cohorts of voters into actually turning up to vote or canvass, something that has made a difference to the outcome of some recent elections.
In Spain most notably, support for Palestinians has helped sustain the government of long-serving Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. There is an undeniable bedrock of political support on the issue that has seen countries like France and the UK recognise the state of Palestine in defiance of American and Israeli pressure in recent months.
So far so good, but Europe is failing to make its pressure tell. It remains too much of a bystander despite its clear political empathy and sympathy for Palestinians. While people like Ms Connolly have impressively risen on the wave, the record on the ground is there is little to show for it.
To give you an example, I looked at the social media accounts of another Irish politician. Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris, who is also his country’s Foreign Minister, has been a clear and clarion champion of the Palestinians cause, too, despite coming from the conservative tradition opposed to Ms Connolly. Yet lately there’s been little from him on the issue.
Mr Harris was clear in September that Palestinians need support to withstand pressure from Israel. Asked by this newspaper about the American ban on Palestinian leaders attending the two-state conference in New York, he was clear and morally strong.
“As you are seeing more countries recognise the state of Palestine, you are seeing even more aggression from Israel,” he said. “It is deeply offensive that the Palestinian Authority are not represented here at a high-level meeting on a two-state solution. There’s actually going to be a conference about a two-state solution in which one of the states isn’t present. That’s illogical, offensive and dangerous.”
That kind of intensity seems to have dissipated since. Dogged by his own ethics scandal, Mr Sanchez has also not been on the ground to push for his allies in the Middle East. Neither have people at the top of the Irish government.
But the ceasefire in Gaza is a process, not a moment. That’s why Europeans should be in overdrive at this time to keep this fragile hope in sight.
On the other side of the ledger, the US government has adopted a bodyguard strategy for its role in the ceasefire process. Top-level visits to Israel and meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been run practically on overlap. On Monday, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were with Mr Netanyahu to ensure that he could not deviate from the process. To keep the ceasefire on track, Washington has been pushing in real time to make sure there is no backsliding from the Israelis.
What has been remarkable is how little the Europeans have sought to replicate this process. One of the most pressing issues is the UN Security Council resolution that will govern the International Stabilisation Force in Gaza, something that was conceived in the ceasefire agreement. The Europeans should be out there pushing for exactly what the Indonesian government has called for, which is a peacekeeping force in the enclave.
The danger is that attempts by some countries to ensure there is a peace enforcement mission – instead of a peacekeeping one – could derail the ceasefire itself. Not least because the delay on the agreement of the wording for a Security Council resolution is now getting untenable. The Europeans have two permanent member seats in the council, and they should be much more forward-leaning in the discussion.
Ireland’s departing President, Michael D Higgins, who was once Ms Connolly’s mentor, has been effective in his use of the bully pulpit in a social media age. His successor can be expected to follow suit after her inauguration.
And yet, showing passion is one thing. Progressive European politicians need to follow through with impact on the ground if they really want to change the situation in Palestine for the better.
