Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty has strongly backed the decision by SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood to decline to attend St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at the White House whilst the bloodshed in Gaza continues.
The SDLP has said that they cannot in good conscience attend celebratory events at the White House for St Patrick’s Day while the civilian population in Gaza lives in constant fear of death and eradication.
Newry & Armagh SDLP MLA Justin McNulty said:
“The bonds of friendship and shared history between Ireland and the United States have forged one of the warmest and most enduring international relationships in the world today. It is because we are so close historically, diplomatically and, many of us personally, that we have a duty to be honest with our friends and allies – especially when we think they’re wrong.
“The ghastly scenes of destruction and annihilation in Gaza represent, in my view, a clear act of genocide. With more than 26,000 people dead, and more than 10,000 of them children, the response of the international community has been heinously deficient. The response of the US administration has been particularly atrocious.
“In that context, the SDLP cannot in good conscience attend White House parties for St Patrick’s Day while the administration turns its face the other way and refuses to call for an immediate ceasefire. We could not rub shoulders, drink Guinness and have the craic while the horrifying impacts of the brutal war in Gaza continue. It would be the very opposite of solidarity with a people on the brink of destruction.
“The SDLP will send a delegation to Washington DC to meet with senior law makers, with Irish-American leaders and with Palestinian-Americans to make the case for an end to violence. It is in our party’s DNA to work toward peace wherever possible. We will use our influence to press strongly for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
“I am not naive to the scale of the impact this action will have. But faced with the scenes of destruction across Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas of human habitation on our planet, I honestly believe it would be wrong to attend these celebrations and that not attending sends a far more powerful message.
“The first and most important principle of peace is that the killing has to stop. The US has enormous influence over the pace of that first step in Gaza and southern Israel. I sincerely hope that they use it and join those of us calling for an immediate ceasefire.”
ENDS
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