This week at the White House, President Trump’s words and actions shook anyone with respect for human rights and empathy for others.
The dismantling of USAID has caused shockwaves among humanitarian and development organisations who face huge layoffs and funding freezes placing life-saving projects in jeopardy.
So many aid workers find themselves scrabbling to keep vital work afloat and many NGOs, including some of our dedicated partners, face huge challenges not only to remain ethically responsible in the forced shutdown of projects, but to protect and sustain the work that is alleviating the suffering of so many vulnerable people.
It is a heartbreaking and distressing situation of abandonment worsened by Trump’s continued disregard for international law and human decency.
Trump, following meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a bizarre statement to the press spoke of the forced displacement of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and a US takeover to ‘build a Riviera of the region’ (BBC, 2025).
On our television screens, our smartphones and in the headlines, we have been witnesses to ethnic cleansing, continued illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and a violent oppression which has murdered women and children more than any other recent conflict in a single year.
What is happening in Palestine is the litmus test of our times and it is time, together, we begin calling it what it is – colonialism and the oppression of a people seeking peace and a return to their home.
As Irish people, we bear the scars of colonial rule and have used our unique voice in Europe to amplify the voices of the oppressed.
Just over 40 years ago, one of the most iconic strikes in history took place on Henry Street in Dublin. Ten young Dunnes Stores workers, aged between 17 and 24, refused to handle goods from apartheid South Africa because of how their government treated black people.
This courageous and selfless act led to a strike lasting two years and nine months. A strike which inspired thousands to stand in solidarity with people they had never met, joined together by their shared humanity.
– this is a legacy Ireland should be incredibly proud of and is a legacy we should passionately lead with on the international stage yet again.
We must call on our government to stop its delay and pass the Occupied Territories Bill which would sanction Israel for its crimes against humanity and be real tangible action in the face of growing tyranny from the United States and Israeli regimes.
Gaza needs our humanity more than ever.
Photo credit: @omarcellona