Irish Examiner view: Words are weapons in war for minds
Israel's foreign minister Eli Cohen and Tánaiste Micheál Martin speaking with Haim Peretz whose town in Israel had been attacked by Hamas on November 16. Now, Mr Cohen has responded angrily to the way Taoiseach Leo Varadkar phrased his welcome for the release of Emily Hand. Picture: Miri Shimonovich
The perils of statecraft via social media were amply illustrated when misunderstanding — some might say it was wilful — arose from comments made by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar after the release of Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand, 9, kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri, and her joyful reunion with her family some 50 days after attacks by Hamas terrorists.
Mr Varadkar angered the Israeli foreign minister with his original tweet: “This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family. An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered.”
Eli Cohen responded: “It seems you have lost your moral compass and need a reality check! Emily Hand was not ‘lost’, she was kidnapped by a terror organization worse than ISIS that murdered her stepmother.
“Emily and more than 30 other Israeli children were taken hostage by Hamas, and you Leo Varadkar are trying to legitimize and normalize terror. Shame on you!”
The Israeli foreign minister has summoned the Irish ambassador in Tel Aviv “for a reprimand” and the Israeli embassy has doubled down on the criticism, saying that “words matter, especially in war when lives are at stake, and when there is an increase of extreme discourse. It is important to remember Emily was kidnapped by terrorists who knew very well where she was all this time — in their hands.”
SUSTAINABILITY & CLIMATE
Check out our Sustainability and Climate Change Hub where you will find the latest news, features, opinions and analysis on this topic from across the various Irish Examiner topic desks and their team of specialist writers and columnists.
Mr Varadkar’s initial statement had a New Testament feel to it.
It is in Luke 15:24, the parable of the prodigal son, that a father rejoices “...my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found”.
The Taoiseach has felt obliged to clarify his comments and reinforce his “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and hostage-taking”. He asserts that the vast majority of people understood what he was saying. While this is likely to be correct, a politician of Mr Varadkar’s experience will be aware of Ronald Reagan’s presidential aphorism that “if you are explaining you are losing”.
The episode is a useful reminder that the motives of Ireland, which is projected as a flag-waver for Palestine in some quarters in Europe, can be misrepresented and misinterpreted.
Let us move on with care in the devout hope that more children can be saved in the days to come.
For someone who managed eight leading football clubs and two international sides, it was inevitable that Terry Venables, who died this weekend after a long illness, would occasionally be linked with the Republic of Ireland soccer team.
Venables was mentioned in despatches after the sacking of Brian Kerr in 2006, and then again after the stewardship of Steve Staunton ended in 2007.
Venables joined Chelsea as a 15-year-old and made his first team debut at 17 in 1960. He was the first, and last, player to earn international recognition at every level — schoolboy, youth, amateur, U23, and full.
He blamed Eamon Dunphy for his failure to land the Irish job after the RTÉ pundit heavily criticised his character and his record.
And his flamboyant and chippy East End personality was not to everyone’s taste. His propensity to act as a barrack-room lawyer led him to fall out with the combustible Tommy Docherty and confront the sergeant-major style of Bill Nicholson at Tottenham, while his business affairs could sometimes call to mind the entrepreneurial approach of Arthur Daley, the London wideboy who was a beloved character in TV comedy. He was disqualified by the high court in London from acting as a director for seven years for mismanagement of four companies.
Despite his extra-curricular activities (he was an accomplished singer, successful author and players union representative), many of his players regard Venables as a successful and insightful coach. He won the Second Division with QPR before joining Barcelona after he was recommended by Bobby Robson. At the Nou Camp, he mastered Catalan and in 1985 took the Blaugrana to their first Spanish league title for 11 years.
His achievement in taking England to the brink of the final of Euro 96, where they lost to Germany — once again on penalties — was the high watermark of his international career. However, as the tributes rolled in yesterday it’s difficult not to contemplate the possibility that he could have been the best manager Ireland never had.
Many experiments have been carried out utilising cooking oil as a fuel for cars, vans, and coaches, but tomorrow there are loftier ambitions to be tested as Virgin Atlantic attempts to make the first transatlantic flight from London to New York using sustainable aviation fuel.
SAF is made from non-petroleum-based renewable resources such as agricultural waste and used cooking oil. It can currently be used in jet engines up to a maximum blend of 50%, but tomorrow’s journey from Heathrow to JFK will be the first time that a 100% mixture has been deployed.
But for every up, there is a down. This attempt to usher in “a new era of guilt-free flying” (described as such by Britain’s Department of Transport as an amuse-bouche ahead of the Cop28 conference opening in Dubai on Thursday) is not quite what it seems. Critics say that the new propellant can surreptitiously incorporate virgin palm oil, one of the major drivers of global deforestation.
Those who enjoy overseas travel, and every indication is that Irish citizens continue to be great enthusiasts for flying, will be aware that sustainable aviation fuel is an emerging industry. As with wind energy and solar power, big claims are made about its future impact. Only time and scale will determine their veracity.
