Sir, – Perhaps it is EF Fanning (October 9th), and not Niall Ginty, who should “inform himself a little more before pontificating to others”.
Trócaire has for many years opted to take sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict, one of these actions being its call for a ban on products from illegal Israeli settlements. While I can see some justification for the latter action, Trócaire’s decision to select out only Israel for criticism and action is clearly one-sided.
For such a stance completely ignores the suffering of the Israeli victims of the conflict, many of whom include the poor in Israel who continue to suffer due to the enormous proportion of its revenue that their government is required to direct towards maintaining its defence forces against various enemies sworn to wipe the whole of its country and its population off the map.
I fully applaud Trócaire’s charity and aid to suffering Palestinian children and people, and earnestly hope such aid continues to be supplied until there is a fair and just solution to this conflict, which must include an independent Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. But at the same time, is it right that Trócaire has for years hardly ever, if at all, tried to help terrorised Israeli child and other victims of the thousands of rockets that have been fired – and still continue to be fired at them every week – over the past decade, nor tried to help the two out of every five Israeli children who are living below the poverty line, partly because of this ongoing conflict? – Yours, etc,