Paddy-Washing Genocide? The case for boycotting the White House

As we draw closer to this year’s St. Patrick’s Day White House visit, Somhairle Mag Uidhir argues that Ireland is uniquely placed to take a stand with the Palestinian people and boycott the visit.

The biggest event on the Irish-US calendar is unquestionably St. Patrick’s Day. Every year for three decades now, Taoisigh fly out to Washington to present the US President with a bowl of shamrocks. Smiles abound, cameras click.

Israel’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinians is enabled politically, militarily and financially by US support. How could anyone who has a single moral fibre remaining in their body grin as they pass shamrocks to Genocidalist in Chief, Joe Biden? How could they shake his hand – the same hand which signs off on orders of billions in aid to the Israeli regime – and not have the blood of thousands of Palestinians forever stained on their skin? The moral case for boycotting St. Patrick’s Day is watertight.

There are some who will say that they are horrified by what’s being done to the Palestinians. But they will further state that this is exactly why it is important to go to Washington in the middle of March – to ‘influence’ the US. If we don’t go, the argument runs, we’ll lose our ability to speak for the Palestinians. In short, they’ll agree with the moral reasons not to go, but will say that Irish politicians should attend on strategic grounds.

Before we examine why this doesn’t stack up, there are three important things to understand about the St. Patrick’s Day trip. The first is that it goes beyond just the event in the White House. There is a whole smorgasbord of breakfasts, meetings, photo-ops, luncheons, receptions, dinners, which happen across Washington, New York, Boston and beyond, where Irish politicians, diplomats and business people “connect with powerful decision-makers.”

The second point is that St. Patrick’s Day is a bipartisan occasion, when both the Democrats and Republicans seek to outdo each other in their Irishness. Last year, then speaker of the House, Republican Kevin McCarthy, joked at the annual Capitol lunch that there was a “clash brewing” between him and Biden. “I think you might be able to settle this for us,” he told the crowd, “Which one of us is more Irish?”

The third fact about St. Patrick’s Day in the US helps explain the first two: it is as important to US politicians as it is to the Irish establishment. “We chat with the president of the most powerful country in the world, and the president gets votes,” is how one former RTÉ Washington correspondent put it.

The 17th of March is thus a key day for Democrats and Republicans alike. They make use of it to appeal to one of the most important constituencies in US politics: Irish-Americans. Indeed it was a US President, Ronald Reagan, who elevated the charade in the 1980s, not an Irish politician.

And this brings us to a Biden administration facing into a bitter re-election campaign against Trump. Biden desperately requires every good news day he can get between now and the first Tuesday in November. This year, he needs the shamrocks as much as any Irish political leader needs the clout of 15 minutes in the Oval Office. So the question becomes: this year, will Irish politicians participate in the organised Paddy-washing of this warmonger?

Beart agus Briathar

As mentioned, some will claim that political parties should go to the White House for the sake of the Palestinians, in order that they can ‘use their access’ to put pressure on the US.

Even accepting that this would have any effect (which I don’t) the first question would be: can we be sure that once Irish representatives land on US soil, they will in fact be pressuring the Americans? Take the Irish Government. Have they provided any proof whatsoever of wanting to stand up to the US for its support of Israel? By refusing to expel Israel’s ambassador and not backing the South African case in the ICJ¹, haven’t they instead bowed to Washington at virtually every turn? To believe that Varadkar or Martin, over sips of champagne, will turn over a new leaf and become champions of the Palestinians is as naïve as believing that Israel is acting in self-defence.

But let’s put aside Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil for a moment. The elephant in the room is Sinn Féin, who have attended for many years now. Mary Lou McDonald, when asked over Christmas did she intend to go to the White House despite many weeks of genocide, answered that Sinn Féin would be there.

Since this commitment, Sinn Féin has kept quiet on the issue, no doubt hoping it would blow over. The Palestine solidarity movement, however, has ensured St. Patrick’s Day is front and centre. Sinn Féin may break their silence eventually and attempt to justify going to the White House on the grounds that they would have the ear of the Americans. It is likely that we might hear some version of an oft-repeated line about the party’s unique perspective on peace-building and how that adds to the importance of them being in the room. Unfortunately, there is ample recent evidence to be skeptical that Sinn Féin’s words on this side of the Atlantic would match their deeds on the other.

When Biden visited Ireland last year, Mary Lou McDonald explicitly stated on record that she wouldn’t raise the issue of Palestine with him, choosing to focus instead on Ireland-specific issues. In contrast, activists in Belfast protested at his visit with Palestine flags because of the US administration’s ongoing support for apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Even as Israel’s more recent genocidal bombardment was into its third week, Sinn Féin paraded around US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy III. They wined and dined with him at Stormont and with city councillors in Belfast City Hall, got in multiple photo ops across the North, and defiantly trumpeted his presence.

While thousands remained trapped under genocide’s rubble, they didn’t utter a peep about the US backing of the Israeli murder machine, much less challenge it. Joe Biden was never named publicly, his main man in the North, Joe Kennedy, given a hero’s welcome when he should have been shunned as a Zionist villain. Here was a chance to harass and twist the arm of a member of the administration which props up Israel, an opening to give an international lead on how genocide-enablers should be treated. The moment was triumphantly passed up, Palestinians be damned.

Ultimately, though, this debate is of secondary importance. For the sake of the Palestinians, it is critical that the Palestine solidarity movement in the West understands what kind of pressure the US and Israel respond to, as well as what leverage individual countries have in this regard.

Making Genocide Politically Costly Again

“According to the American narrative, there are two groups of people in Gaza. One is the Hamas fighters, who are brutal terrorists and are therefore mortal. Most of the people in Gaza belong to a second group, innocent civilians who suffer for no fault of their own. Therefore Israel must not only avoid harming them as much as possible but also act to make their lives easier.”

“The other, and more correct, narrative is as follows: Israel is not fighting a terrorist organization but against the State of Gaza.”

So wrote the notorious Israeli general, Giora Eiland, during the so-called ‘humanitarian pause’ in early November. His opinion piece was in step with the genocidal rhetoric espoused by Israeli state spokespeople. But it also speaks to the surface-tension between the US and Israel. There is no disagreement to be found from the US Government over Israel’s clear intention to ethnically cleanse Gaza on a mass scale. Just as the US Government has had no qualms with decades of apartheid and occupation. No, the issue, instead, was the bodies.

It is Israel’s approach – brazen genocide – which risks being politically costly for its Western backers. It’s not a ‘good look’.

In the run up to November’s pause, the global mass movement in solidarity with Palestine was beginning to make itself felt. In the UK, Home Secretary Suella Braverman attempted to discipline the movement and lost, leading to her dismissal. In Europe, despite serious efforts at criminalisation, the streets have been taken over by displays of support for Palestine.

As ever with Israel, however, it is the US which is key. Biden has been unequivocal in his backing for the Zionist state since October 7th, to an extent that may have surprised some of his supporters. 

“But in the meantime, we’re not going to do a damn thing other than protect Israel in the process.  Not a single thing.” – Joe Biden, December 12, 2023

Biden himself has parrotted Israeli lies about Palestinian beheading babies (which he has never retracted), he has visited and embraced Netanyahu despite the latter’s genocidal rhetoric, and his administration has continued the conveyor belt of bombs to Israel and pushed through a near-quadrupling of US aid. But the US administration isn’t blind to the difficulties Israel’s massacres are causing them, both at home and in the Global South.

“But they [Israel] are starting to lose that [international] support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place” – Joe Biden, December 12, 2023

For a Democratic President elected in the aftermath of the largest protest movement in the history of the United States in terms of sheers numbers involved – the movement for Black lives – to earn the moniker ‘Genocide Joe’ is a serious problem. The polls reflect this. There is growing disquiet among young voters, while there are serious questions about whether Arab-Americans and Muslim voters in the US would turn out for Biden. This is potentially a major concern; in a few key swing states, Arab-Americans are a much larger population than Biden’s margin over Trump in 2020². In this context, Irish-Americans take on an even greater importance.

For his part, Benjamin Netanyahu is clearly intent on pushing Washington to its limits, on calling the White House’s bluff. But even this most extreme of Israeli Governments³ has to reckon with a certain realpolitik that their cluster bombs come from somewhere.

‘“We need three things from the US: munitions, munitions, and munitions,” the Israeli prime minister told a group of local government officials, according to a recording obtained by the Israel Hayom newspaper. “There are huge demonstrations in western capitals,” added Netanyahu, who is concerned political pressure overseas might threaten the US arms shipments. “We need to apply counter-pressure . . . There have been disagreements with the best of our friends.”’ – Financial Times, 6 December, 2023

It was international pressure, then, in the form of mass movements on the streets, in workplaces and in communities, which brought about that November ‘ceasefire’. Israel certainly didn’t want it, not even a temporary one. Its disregard for its own hostages has been displayed multiple times. The pause was forced on Israel, essentially by the US. The Biden administration shouldn’t be confused for having found a moral compass, rather their instinct for political self-preservation kicked in.

The reality is, the US has the power to call off Israel’s genocidal assault. The US Government is also vulnerable to the pressure generated by mass movements. What to conclude from this? Most importantly, we have to recognise immediately that international pressure isn’t just a moral duty in the face of genocide. It is much more than that: it’s the best strategic leverage we have in trying to foist a permanent ceasefire on the Israeli state, not to mention in terms of creating the conditions in which Palestinians can win liberation.

Ireland’s Role

To achieve such a permanent ceasefire will require an uptick in global pressure. The mass movement for Palestine has to make it clear to Western leaders that by backing Israel, they will pay a heavier price than they can stomach.

How does Ireland, a relatively small country on the edge of Europe, fit in? Of course, partition means that the Tories supposedly represent the North on the international stage, a duty they’re presently fulfilling by bombing Yemen.

But the South is a different matter. Though it isn’t a power broker like the EU; the government doesn’t arm Israel as the UK does; and nor is it the political, financial and military backbone for Israel in the way the US is –  it is part of the Western order – an EU member with close ties to the US. Indeed, Ireland plays an outsized role in Joe Biden’s self-projected image; he flaunts his Irish heritage at every opportunity.

At the same time, however, the South has a policy of military neutrality (despite the best efforts of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to eradicate it). And unlike many other Western countries, we have a radical, anti-colonial tradition which generates deep reservoirs of support for Palestine.

All this combines to put Ireland in a unique place on the international stage. In short, we have a distinct potential to be the first country in the US-EU-UK imperial nexus which can give a lead internationally in breaking the political consensus upholding Israel.

We in the West can’t hand Palestine its liberation, but we can weaken our governments’ support for their oppression. Our job is to crack as much as possible the Western unity which maintains Israel’s strength, isolating the Zionist state much as how Apartheid South Africa was eventually isolated. Were Israel’s support cut off, a population so imbued with the spirit of human resistance as the Palestinians might just stand a fair chance of winning their own freedom.

South Africa cast the first major international stone with their case in the ICJ. Varadkar and Martin have refused to put the Irish Government’s name to the case. Similarly, they have dug their heels in on the Israeli ambassador, rejecting calls to expel her, with Fianna Fáil even having the gall to invite her to their Ard Fheis.

When it comes to international pressure, the Irish Government has that extra bit of leverage. So far, they’re criminally wasting it.

Boycott the White House

Let’s take stock quickly of the relevant facts. The US administration is vulnerable to the pressure generated by the mass movement in solidarity with Palestine. This vulnerability means that for the US establishment, and especially for Biden, St. Patrick’s Day takes on even more importance this year as they seek to cleanse their image before the eyes of the world and the voters at home. Meanwhile, Ireland has a distinct international position, being part of the Western order while simultaneously never having been a colonial power and having deep support for Palestine across the vast majority of the population.

Now consider what South Africa’s case has done. It has shone an urgent spotlight on Israel’s crimes, and put the West on the back foot. It has raised the spirits of the global solidarity movement, and on the evidence of the scenes from the Nelson Mandela statue in Ramallah in the West Bank, that of Palestinians too. The value of the case in terms of pressure doesn’t rely on quiet conversations behind closed doors, it is an unambiguous statement to humanity: we charge Israel with genocide.

Much of the Western media disgracefully ignored South Africa’s prosecution. Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh was missing everywhere from the BBC, but Israel’s ‘defence’ was fully livestreamed. By going to Washington on St. Patrick’s Day, whatever your purpose, be sure that the US administration, Western powers, and pliant media, will present that decision in a similarly one-sided way. They will project it in a manner calculated to cleanse their image after months of genocide. In fact, they will ruthlessly exploit Ireland’s anti-colonial tradition to cover their backs: ‘Look even the Irish, whose support for Palestine is known far and wide, are dealing with us in a normal fashion’.

This dynamic is all the more relevant in the context of Sinn Féin, looked upon globally as a different sort of party to the imperial powerhouses that dominate the Global North. They’re seen in the Middle East and the Global South as stemming from Ireland’s anti-colonial tradition. The responsibility on them is therefore greater. In comparison with Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, the consequences of their party figures shaking Genocide Joe’s hand, infinitely more harmful.

And finally, remember also Leo Varadkar’s justification for refusing to expel the Israeli ambassador. He claimed expulsion “simply isolates Ireland from the discussion…What we need now is a very persuasive argument coming from Ireland.” Varadkar was being misleading, intentionally so, by propagating the myth that Israel could be convinced by a quiet word in the ear. The idea that Irish politicians engaging in some sort of subtle dialogue with representatives of the world’s largest imperial power can change things for the Palestinians is similarly and evidently nonsensical.

Disturbers

St. Patrick’s Day 2024 is of generational significance, then. It could be another ‘ICJ moment’, and potentially more impactful again because of Israel’s obsession with being normalised in and by the West. Irish politicians have a unique opportunity – no, a responsibility – to boycott the White House on St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t duck the question or hide away.

And this last point is critical. It must be an active boycott, not one where Irish representatives do the equivalent of calling in sick. Put it up to the US on the world stage, refuse to go along with the farce, show tangible solidarity with the Palestinians in their time of greatest need.

Doing so would echo and build on South Africa’s steps. You charged Israel with genocide, we charge the United States with enabling it. It would strike a blow at the heart of the hypocrisy and propaganda which insulates Israel. It would give succour to movements and organisations not only in the imperial core, but right around the globe. And crucially, the above arguments remain true even if a ceasefire is called before St. Patrick’s Day; ceasefire or not, it is the US which underpins and protects the Zionist project of which this genocide is a horrific but logical conclusion.

In 1894, the great Irish Marxist James Connolly wrote about what could and couldn’t be gained by being elected to parliament in a capitalist system. It is only valuable, he said, “in so far as it is the return of a disturber of the political peace.”

A political ‘peace’ overseeing genocide is one most in need of such disturbers. 

1.  As this piece was being published, the Irish Government published a motion in which it committed to “strongly consider intervention” in the ICJ case. While not going far enough, shifts like this show the Government feels the need to appear to respond to mass public pressure.
2.  In Arizona, for example, the Arab-American community is six times bigger than Biden’s margin of victory over Trump in that state in 2020.
3. We shouldn’t fall into the liberal trap that this Israeli government is an exception, their actions the result of the far right in power. Rather the far right being in power, and Israel’s most recent genocide of the Palestinians, is Zionism’s logical conclusion.