Sport

Over 200 Irish sports stars call for ceasefire in Gaza with open letter

Over 200 of Ireland's best-known sports stars have signed an open letter calling for an "immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza." The list of stars includes former Munster and Ireland star Keith Earls, Dublin's Bernard Brogan, former GAA pundit Joe Brolly, Ireland's James McClean, and many others.

The military campaign initiated by Israel in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, has resulted in the deaths of more than 23,000 people and injuries to over 59,000, as reported by the health ministry in the Gaza Strip. This information is released ahead of a scheduled Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign march set to take place in Dublin on Saturday.

The letter, which has been signed by over 200 former and current Irish sports stars, includes signatures from GAA, LGFA, and Camogie All-Ireland winners, as well as former Ireland soccer and rugby internationals.

The full letter reads:

The Irish Sport for Palestine open letter reads:

"We have come together as members of the Irish sporting community to show our solidarity with the Palestinian people and to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza," started the letter.

"For over three months, we have watched in horror as over 22,330 Palestinians, more than 9,000 of them children, have been murdered and countless thousands more catastrophically injured, while 90% of the population in Gaza has been forcibly displaced.

"We ask: How many athletes, sportspeople, trainers, and those children aspiring to be have been murdered or displaced by the horrific Israeli violence?

"For decades, Israel has targeted Palestinian sportspeople, preventing them from traveling to competitions, shooting and maiming them, killing them, and destroying their facilities.

"Israel continues to target Palestinian athletes, especially footballers, many of them children and youths, and has destroyed sporting facilities in Gaza and the West Bank.

"Israeli occupation forces last month turned Gaza's Yarmouk Stadium into a detention centre, where Palestinian men, youths, and children have been held without charge, terrorised, and abused. The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has called on the International Olympic Committee, FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), international and continental confederations, and all relevant bodies “to take urgent measures to end the gross violations of the Israeli occupation against the Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza and to subject it to legal accountability.”

The letter also asked the Irish government to enact "the Occupied Territories Bill and the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill."

cool to see Kevin Moran put his name to the Irish Sport for Palestine petition pic.twitter.com/VYOMVvQmtO

— branno (@kevinbrannigans) January 10, 2024

The Occupied Territories Bill (officially Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018) is a proposed Irish law that would ban and criminalise "trade with and economic support for illegal settlements in territories deemed occupied under international law," most notably Israeli settlements in Israeli-occupied territories. Violators would face fines of up to €250,000 and up to five years in prison.

"The PFA has appealed for an international investigation into the treatment of Palestinian athletes and sports facilities amidst reports of Israeli forces violating the Olympic Charter by targeting sports clubs," they added.

"What is happening in Gaza is genocide. A system of apartheid—a crime against humanity—is being imposed on Palestinians. Despite criticism by the UN and respected international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Rescue Committee, Médecins Sans Frontières, and many more, Israel has made clear its intention to continue to violate international law.

"We encourage all sportspeople across the island to join our call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, for the illegal siege to be lifted, for humanitarian aid to be delivered, and for no further forced displacement of Palestinians.

"We advocate for sports clubs, spaces, fan groups, and communities to sign up to become Apartheid Free Zones and boycott Israeli products.

"We call on Sport Ireland, the Olympic Federation of Ireland, and all relevant sporting bodies to call for an international investigation into Israel’s violation of the Olympic Charter and impose sanctions.

"We call on the Irish government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill and the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill. We urge them to support the investigation of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court into the situation in Palestine and submit a case of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza to the International Court of Justice, as South Africa has just done.

"After 75 years of racist oppression, Palestinians deserve freedom, justice, and equality. This is a crucial moment for humanity. The time to act is now. We must stand together, and we must not fail."

Here's the full list of 221 names who signed the letter.

GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association):