Sir, – I have rarely read a statement more detached from political realities and public sentiment than Kenny Cunningham’s (“It would be a good thing to see the Israeli team come on to the pitch in Dublin” September 7th). It is extreme in its deafness to the outpouring of horror at Israel’s slaughter of more than 70,000 people in Gaza.
No doubt Cunningham is sincere in his empathy with the people of Israel over Hamas’s terror attack of October 7th, 2023, but in no way does that suggest Irish football supporters share his view that “it would be a good thing to see the Israeli national anthem respected inside the Aviva, because that for me would send a signal, maybe from the Irish people to the Israeli people who have suffered as well in this conflict”.
Rather, I suspect, the reception would represent the national revulsion of Irish people at the genocidal intent towards the Palestinian people to eradicate any prospect of an independent Palestinian state. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN McCARTHY,
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Killaloe,
Clare.
