Ireland’s President-elect Catherine Connolly delivered an unwavering defence of Palestinian humanity back in September, in response to statements made by Jim Gavin, the Fianna Fáil presidential candidate who officially withdrew but still appeared on the ballot.
Connolly reminded the public that while Palestinians have endured generations of dehumanisation and criminalisation under settler colonial occupation, the Western media has been especially dismissive and cruel in its coverage over the past two years. She questioned how such reporting pacifies audiences in the face of genocide and what this moral numbness means for our collective humanity.
Her comments stand in stark contrast to many Western counterparts who often feel pressured to condemn “both sides,” as if the occupier and the occupied share equal power or responsibility. Connolly refused to accept that false equivalence, choosing clarity over comfort.
According to Gaza’s Health Authority, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, over 10% of the enclave’s population — that is one out of every 33 people. While, the Lancet Medical Journal puts of those killed at over 186,000.
Meanwhile, one in four children in Gaza is gravely malnourished, according to Al Jazeera, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Connolly’s words pose a deeper question: What does it say about our generation that we have watched this unfold live on social media as those in power continue to debate whether Palestinians are even fully human?
Video Credit @virginmedianews (on x)
