'United in our horror' – 250 Irish psychologists call for ceasefire and ...

In a letter signed by 250 members of the profession, the group Irish Psychologists for Palestine said it “passionately advocates” for Ireland taking an active role in the ongoing conflict and encouraged the Taoiseach to support joining the case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Signatories of the letter include Assistant Professor in Global Health at Trinity College Dublin Dr Meg Ryan, HSE senior educational psychologist Dr Deirdre Egan and University of Galway School of Psychology lecturer Dr Jenny Groarke.

The letter was also signed by organisational psychologist Allison Keating, who has previously called for a ceasefire on a social media.

The group also called for Mr Varadkar to endorse and support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a pro-Palestine campaign aimed at pressuring Israel by boycotting Israeli products, calling for banks and companies to stop doing business in the country and for governments to end trade agreements with Israel.

"We are united in our horror at the most recent escalation of violence in Gaza, which has seen significant loss of civilian lives on both sides of the apartheid wall which separates Israel and Gaza,” the letter sent to the Taoiseach reads.

"No human being is disposable and people are not numbers. The taking of any human life is an individual tragedy, and we empathise with all those who have lost family and loved ones in the last four months.”

The letter also calls for the Occupied Territories Bill to be enacted “to address the rights and protections of the Palestinian people”. The bill passed in the Seanad in 2018 before passing second stage in the Dáil in 2019 and stalling since.

The proposed law would ban "trade with and economic support for illegal settlements in territories deemed occupied under international law", violation of which would carry a penalty of a fine of up to €250,000 and a five-year prison term.

Finally, it advocates for rescinding Israel’s benefits under the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement, which opens the market for direct flights between the EU and Israel

“As psychologists, we have unique expertise and competence in recognising and treating trauma. The traumas being experienced collectively by the people of Palestine are recurrent and intergenerational, resulting in extreme psychological suffering."

Acknowledging Oireachtas members who have shown support for the people of Palestine, Irish Psychologists for Palestine said the State “has further means and capacity to translate messages of solidarity into meaningful action”.

“From a psychological perspective, we ask that the Irish government advocate for the fundamental human rights of Palestinians, for their access to a safe world and to essential services such as health, education, and sanitation.”

The letter was endorsed by the special interest group in trauma and adversity of the Psychology Society of Ireland, a group aiming to promote awareness of the lived experiences of those who have suffered trauma.