Video: Netanyahu’s arrest warrant is just the beginning | Clare Daly interview

24 Nov 2024

Clare Daly is an Irish politician and former MEP who has been vocal on the plight of the Palestinian people long before the events of October 7 triggered Israel's most recent campaign in Gaza. As part of JOE's Irish election coverage, she came by our Dublin studios, and during a wide ranging conversation, shared her views on the news that the ICC issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.

Transcript

0:00

the idea that there's only two people

0:01

criminally responsible is definitely not

0:04

the case uh this needs to go all the way

0:06

to the tops of the US Administration and

0:09

to the European Union Elites who have

0:11

enabled and ensured that this genocide

0:14

has continued Israel is finished after

0:17

this they have nowhere else to go I

0:19

firmly believe that this is this

0:21

generation's Vietnam things will never

0:23

be the same what have we come to Green

0:25

governments across Europe arming a

0:28

genocide when Tater and ra imposed in

0:30

arms and bargue it shows how much the

0:32

world has gone in a really dangerous

0:35

Direction about time where were you for

0:37

the last uh year and a bit um but it's

0:40

it's it should have to be the start it's

0:43

only the start the idea that there's

0:45

only two people criminally responsible

0:48

is definitely not the case uh this needs

0:50

to go all the way to the tops of the US

0:53

Administration and to the European Union

0:55

Elites who have enabled and ensured that

0:58

this genocide has continued it couldn't

1:00

have happened without them it wouldn't

1:02

have even started without them to be

1:04

honest and uh unless it goes there well

1:07

then you know the ICC has a huge

1:10

credibility problem which it had anyway

1:12

it's sort of slightly um slightly

1:15

slightly uh rehabilitated itself but the

1:19

fact that the ICC which is you know

1:22

different than the

1:24

icj um has taken this decision shows you

1:28

how even they can cannot stand over

1:31

what's going on there but it must be

1:33

deepened and it must be continued more

1:34

when you were an MEP you were very

1:36

outspoken about the the um onslaught of

1:39

Palestine I've been involved in politics

1:42

for 40 years but I have never seen

1:45

anything like what is being Unleashed in

1:48

Gaza in full public view while the world

1:52

watches it unfold 10 days of Relentless

1:55

air strikes one in a thousand people

1:58

murdered by the Israeli government in a

2:00

week open Declarations of Siege 24 hours

2:05

of fuel electricity and water left

2:08

Collective punishment on innocent people

2:10

all illegal all war crimes and when the

2:14

EU should have been arguing for a

2:16

ceasefire for the upholding of

2:18

international law for the protection of

2:20

civilians Ursa vonder liion touches down

2:24

in Tel Aviv to photo up the preparation

2:28

of a genocide and say Europe stands with

2:31

Israel now and in the days to come how

2:34

dare she she has no Authority in foreign

2:37

affairs matter she does not speak for me

2:40

she does not speak for Ireland and she

2:43

does not speak for the citizens of

2:45

Europe We Stand For Peace we stand for

2:48

justice for the people of Palestine and

2:50

for the upholding of international law

2:53

it's long past the time that this woman

2:55

exited the stage it's time for her to go

2:58

and for the international criminal so

3:00

the debate so the debate is closed do

3:03

you feel Vindicated in any way by the

3:05

decision now

3:06

or I think that's it's a horrible word

3:09

to use in this context because it's just

3:11

so tragic and unimaginable what Humanity

3:15

has allowed to continue there it's not

3:17

that it's the first genocide but it is

3:19

the first that's been openly declared

3:21

and publicly carried out with full

3:24

enabling by the Western the global North

3:28

while the rest of the world watch and

3:30

Ireland has been part of that by the

3:32

spiking of the jululu goods sales to

3:34

Israel since the genocide started

3:36

through allowing at the overflights I

3:40

was what's the word you know I I was you

3:45

know you're never happy or glad they're

3:47

the wrong words they're not the words

3:48

I'm looking for I

3:52

was honored or I I can't think of the

3:54

right word for this because it doesn't

3:56

really fit but it was my job to use that

3:59

plat form to highlight what was going on

4:01

I think I did it well because people

4:03

from Palestine and Lebanon and all over

4:06

the world have been in contact and all

4:07

over Ireland and Europe about how they

4:10

were so glad that their voice and their

4:13

opinion which is not mentioned or

4:16

articulated in the European mainstream

4:18

at all even though it's the views of the

4:21

majority of people in Europe and

4:23

probably in the US as well but they

4:25

don't often hear it in those centers of

4:27

power so it was an amazing um

4:31

opportunity to use it and I'm I'm very

4:34

glad I did but I'm very sorry that I had

4:37

to because you know Humanity's future is

4:41

is up for grabs here it's quite clear

4:43

the West has decided that Israel is the

4:45

harbinger of bonfiring international law

4:48

and and Hing in a world where might is

4:51

right all over again MH you even before

4:56

this last year of the most recent um

4:58

genocide as you say you were in

5:01

Brussels banging the drum is probably

5:04

not the right way to describe it but you

5:05

have been vocal on Palestine in Brussels

5:08

for years now how did it feel to be um I

5:12

suppose coming against a brick wall

5:14

almost that you're you're trying to

5:17

spread awareness and spread and I mean

5:19

you only need to look at social media to

5:21

see how much reception by The Wider

5:24

public you've gotten for your stance on

5:27

this but how did it feel to be within

5:29

that space and not kind of see the the

5:33

um reciprocity of your your view well I

5:37

suppose you know politics is a bubble

5:40

it's becoming increasingly a bubble in

5:42

Ireland where there is a disconnect from

5:44

those in power with the people on the

5:46

ground but in Brussels multiply that by

5:49

a 100 they're in a complete bubble of

5:53

self indication where they are called

5:56

they answer the tune of corporate

5:58

interests be it the the military

6:00

industrial complex big Pharma big agre

6:03

that's who they answer to and they

6:05

obviously tell them that they're doing a

6:06

great job and within that in terms of

6:09

foreign policy you did have a lot of

6:10

sinus in the parliament H you did have

6:13

but generally speaking there was a huge

6:16

reception across the board from the

6:18

staff in the parliament there was been

6:19

incredible displays of solidarity from

6:22

the staff I mean you know they work in

6:24

an ins I didn't fully believe uh ever

6:27

the U EU man that they are a force for

6:31

democracy and good and human rights for

6:33

all that you only need to look at what

6:35

they do in their own countries to know

6:37

that that's not true but they pedal

6:39

themselves on that but a lot of the

6:40

staff working there believe that that

6:42

the European Union did represent

6:45

democracy and values and rule of law and

6:48

then when they saw direct complicity and

6:51

greenlighting of the genocide they were

6:55

horror structs they were they were

6:56

literally traumatized and we had an

6:58

incredible meeting which they tried to

7:00

get cancelled H with Franchesca Alban

7:03

the UN special rorer on Palestine which

7:05

was packed to the guilds with hundreds

7:07

of Staff across the institutions and

7:09

there was a lot of bullying a lot of

7:11

Staff of pal Palestinian origin lost you

7:15

know nearly one man nearly lost a

7:17

hundred of his family there and he

7:19

worked in the institutions can you

7:21

imagine working for an organization and

7:23

then heing its leaders basically Golding

7:26

and continuing on that genocide so you

7:29

do do it because you know you represent

7:31

what's real and that that's a bubble and

7:33

and they are the past like this is

7:36

Israel is finished after this they have

7:39

nowhere else to go and it may not seem

7:42

like that because you know the EU and

7:44

the US have their backs at the moment

7:46

but I I firmly believe that this is this

7:49

generation's Vietnam things will never

7:51

be the same after this and a whole lay

7:53

of of young people and people who are

7:55

older who never paid attention to this

7:57

issue are not going to let it go until

8:00

there is Justice for Palestine and this

8:02

issue is dealt with it's absolutely

8:03

tragic that it's happening at such a

8:05

terrible cost and that still it

8:07

continues but it is the harbinger of of

8:10

a big change as well so you have a job

8:13

to do you have a responsibility and any

8:15

elect anywhere I got elected I never saw

8:18

it as an end in itself you know people

8:20

say oh vote for me and I'll do this

8:22

that's nonsense I would say vote for me

8:25

and I will use the platform to shine a

8:27

light on issues that other people are

8:28

afraid to go to because of the media or

8:30

whatever you know a lot of people in

8:32

politics they spend their lives trying

8:33

to get elected and then when they get

8:35

elected they just want to stay there

8:37

they don't want to offend anyone they

8:38

don't want to do anything they walk down

8:39

the middle of the road not interested in

8:42

that we had a job to do we were able to

8:44

use the platform to voice the real

8:48

opinion of the majority of decent

8:50

Europeans Americans and people all over

8:52

the world because we look at things in a

8:54

really atlanticist way here in Ireland

8:56

our media is really Western focused but

8:59

the the majority of the world's

9:00

population lives in countries who don't

9:02

think like that who have a different

9:04

view uh we never hear that reflected and

9:06

it doesn't mean that anyone is right and

9:08

anyone is wrong but dialogue and an

9:10

exchange of views and treating people

9:12

with respect honor and difference and

9:15

all of that is the only way forward but

9:17

unfortunately the administration in the

9:20

US and in the EU now has been hijacked

9:23

by the military industrial complex which

9:25

Michael D said in her recent talk is the

9:28

most dangerous organization on the

9:29

planet MH how do you think the

9:32

complicity that you were talking about

9:33

the complicity of Ireland European Union

9:35

just the West in

9:37

general how do you think well one how do

9:39

you think it will be remembered now that

9:43

there it seems that there's kind of a

9:45

ball rolling in Justice for the

9:47

Palestinian people um but also in the

9:50

immediate term what do you think the the

9:52

consequences for the West will be if if

9:55

there's any um Justice to be seen for

9:57

the Palestinians yeah I mean look I I

10:00

mean I think in the short term things

10:02

are going to be difficult I genuinely

10:04

believe that it wouldn't have mattered

10:05

which lunatic won the US elections that

10:10

uh the result for the rest of the world

10:12

wasn't going to be great and certainly

10:14

for Palestine it wasn't going to be

10:16

great regardless but I do think that the

10:18

American people are off their knees now

10:20

and are pursuing this issue um I think

10:23

in Europe as well we've seen huge

10:25

displays of solidarity they're not going

10:27

to go away um and I do think that that

10:30

will only grow and accelerate I mean in

10:32

Ireland we've had this horrible game

10:35

played by our government I mean I often

10:37

have people you know in Europe say to me

10:39

oh the Irish are great you know you're

10:41

brilliant and I go well the Irish people

10:43

are great and they're certainly totally

10:45

on the side of P but our government

10:47

hasn't been great I mean can you imagine

10:49

like here we are a country that was

10:52

occupied where we have an affinity

10:55

historically no no it is occupied a

10:58

country occupied and that's the thing

11:00

who have an affinity with the global

11:02

South but very much in the global North

11:05

Camp we're uniquely placed to play that

11:09

role and if we had played that role it

11:11

would be a beacon everywhere else

11:12

instead we were coiling even Spain and

11:15

Belgium and Slovenia were better than

11:17

Ireland I mean we should have been

11:19

pushing for Action I mean think about it

11:21

in in 1982 Margaret Tater and Ronald

11:24

Reagan Arch pro- Israelis imposed an

11:27

arms embargo on Israel and miall Martin

11:31

can't call for that in a European

11:34

context or can't Champion that what if

11:36

we come to Green governments across

11:38

Europe arming a genocide when Tater and

11:41

Reagan imposed an arms and bargue for

11:44

for something which was terrible but far

11:46

less than this it shows how much the

11:48

world has gone in a really dangerous

11:50

Direction so I think that Fallout is

11:53

definitely something that we need to

11:54

look at and will play itself out as we

11:56

move forward but there there's no way

11:58

around it like like the the movement

12:00

that is on the streets has to be

12:02

toughened up the BDS the whole isolation

12:06

of Israel in the way in which Ordinary

12:08

People did it with South Africa because

12:09

it wasn't government and they talk about

12:11

the dawn strike here during the dawn

12:13

strike of course you know the government

12:15

of Ireland and all these new fans

12:17

weren't on the side of the D Strikers

12:19

who had to lead it themselves but that's

12:22

that that always happens but it was

12:23

Ordinary People then it will be ordinary

12:26

people now because if if it isn't

12:28

humanity is lost

12:29

and we can all pack our bags because the

12:32

world is over and international law is

12:34

over and we can't have a world like that

12:37

and I think there's so many groups

12:39

lawyers organiz and doctors organize and

12:42

actors organize and midwives organize

12:45

and the solidarity is bottom up we need

12:47

to you know spread that to BDS and

12:50

serious action and blocking of Israel

12:52

and it will it will

12:58

work for

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