Letters: Hosting the Palestinian women’s football team reflects so well on the Irish people

The game takes place despite the fact that the Israeli offensive on Gaza is now in its seventh month.

Bohemians invited the team to Dalymount Park to help raise funds for medical aids for the suffering Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.

The timing of this historic visit, the first of its kind to Europe by a Palestinian women’s team, is of great significance.

It coincides with the painful, sad and heartbreaking 76th anniversary of the Nakba, which is known as the Palestinian disaster after the state of Israel was recognised and Palestine was dissolved.

It marked the beginning of the most notorious occupation in modern human history.

The war on Gaza, which has targeted innocent civilians, mostly women and children (according to many UN sources), has clearly moved the conscience of the people of Ireland. Bohemians have taken this initiative to try to alleviate this inhumane suffering.

This amazingly kind and thoughtful gesture by the Irish people has been received with the greatest of appreciation by Palestinians worldwide.

The funds raised by staging this fixture will help to feed, treat and shelter the people of Gaza.

We are forever grateful to Ireland and to all the Irish people, who have yet again led the way and showed the world how to express tangible support and solidarity with the people of Palestine.

See you at the match. Thank you, Ireland.

Dr Bassam Nassr, Palestinian Community in Ireland, Address with editor

The Middle East death toll is a failure of democracy in a so-called modern world

I wish to express my great anger and disappointment that, while innocent people continue to suffer and die, democratic institutions such as the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and the International Court of Justice have failed to translate into a reality the earnest desire of the people of the world for a peaceful resolution of the war in Palestine.

How can the UN countenance the tenets of its noble document, the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights, being trampled into the dust of Gaza? To my mind, all of this suggests the failure of democracy, and that may be so, but we know it is not quite as simple as that.

This ongoing war is not just political, it is also religious. I was reminded of this recently while watching a short interview on TV with a leader of Hamas. This man cited the words of the “holy Koran” as the basis for the actions of Hamas.

And as for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it is infinitely possible that he is taking his lead from that good book, the Old Testament, which tells the story of the Jews and of the land promised to them, the chosen people.

Consider this: “Every place where you set foot shall be yours: from the desert and from Lebanon,from the Euphrates river to the Western Sea, shall be your territory.” (Deuteronomy, chapter 11, verse 24).

Here, it is timely to remember the late politician, diplomat and writer, Conor Cruise O’Brien, who in 1994 published the polemical Ancestral Voices on this very subject, the conflation of religion and nationalism and its pervasive influence in Irish history.

Those ancient scriptures, the Bible and the Koran, sacred to many, were compiled in days when Earth was thought to be flat. Now, scientists tell us we are living in a vast, ever-expanding universe made up of billions of galaxies, not to mention quasars, exoplanets and black holes.

And it is appropriate here to remember also the renowned cosmologist, Carl Sagan who, in finding a title for one of his books, described the earth as a “Pale Blue Dot”.

Article 3 of the 30 articles of the aforementioned Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” And that certainly includes the rights of the Palestinian people and indeed of the people of Israel.

Anthony McDonagh, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan

GAAGO solution? Put games on terrestrial TV and then charge a fee

Last Saturday’s Munster senior hurling clash between Cork and Limerick was one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen. It cost me €12 on GAAGO.

For two hours of non-stop entertainment, including analysis, this represented great value for money.

If the GAA is determined to put games behind a paywall, would it be possible in conjunction with its partners in RTÉ to put such matches on a terrestrial channel with the applicable fee to be charged?

More viewers equals more profits for both organisations.

John Slattery, Newport, Co Tipperary

So many people excluded from doing the things that others take for granted

During the recent referendums we heard politicians advocating for Yes votes talking about the value of care within the family, with precious little practical improvements in the intervening period. These same politicians will once again be paying lip service to the importance of family care while out canvassing in the upcoming local and European elections.

The recent good weather has given people the opportunity to get out and about in their locality, which is a luxury not enjoyed by all our citizens due to government inaction at local and national level.

Elderly people and people with disabilities can be excluded from activities that other freely enjoy, such as going to the beach or enjoying a nature walk. Accessibility at county council level could be easily rectified through simple measures such as handrails and additional seating on walking trails, and extra ramps to access beaches .

If the Government really valued care, it could also remove the means test for the Carer’s Allowance.

Eamonn O’Hara, Manorcunningham, Co Donegal

Be wary of shingles – I had it and it’s more painful than you might think

About four weeks ago I woke up around 4am with excruciating pains in my back. I struggled out of bed and got mirror to mirror to see my back full of sores and red marks.

Scary stuff. I wondered whether to call 999? I called an excellent paramedic in Donegal town (these guys know their stuff) and he diagnosed it immediately: shingles.

I’m told in time the pain will ease. I just thought I’d let people know a little bit about this very painful rash, as I found it quite scary not knowing.

Brian McDevitt, Glenties, Co Donegal