The Government has decided to upgrade the status of the Palestinian diplomatic delegation in Ireland to a mission - a rank below an embassy.

'The Palestinian delegation will from now on be known as the Palestinian mission,' the spokeswoman said, saying it put Ireland in line with similar decisions announced by fellow EU members France, Spain and Portugal.

Israel later condemned Ireland's 'long-standing biased policy on the Middle East'.

'We regret this Irish decision, though it comes as no surprise,' a foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP.

'This will only strengthen the Palestinians' rejection of any return to direct dialogue and peace negotiations.'

France upgraded the Palestinians to the rank of mission in July last year, while Spain followed suit in September.

 

best welcome ireland fans have gotten anywhere according to most who travelled in 2005. too many issues involved to make sweeping statements such as israel = scum

 

Was there myself and we did indeed get a wonderful welcome and had a fantastic time.

 

However, what they're doing to the Palestinian people, and what they did to the aid flotillas is nothing short barbaric and as such, I am quite happy to label the Israeli regime as scum.

 

Thats why I used the term Regime

 

we've been down this road before here though

 

Yer Tom people have their minds set and I would say most of them have never been to Isreal, but saying that I am not to keen about the people of North Korea

 

but personally i will never forgive them for Dudu

 

People shouldn't make stupid comments unless they fully understand the middle east. I've met a lot of Israeli's on my travels and in the whole they were very nice people although a lot of Israeli men I've met are obnoxious and arrogant c**ts the women on the other hand were the complete opposite.

 

People bleat on about how bad they treat the palestinians but nobody ever says anything about how bad the palestinians treat each other.

 

Would you not have the same attitude when surrounded by arabs who want nothing more than to have you "wiped off the face of the earth".

 

I'm not an Israeli sympathiser neither am I a Palestinian sympathiser but people seem to think that everything they listen to on the news is gospel. Well it's not! Certain people/groups have agendas and the use the media to get those agendas across to the ordinary folk who haven't bothered studying the issue.

 

 

No time for the that government since they attacked a US Naval Intelligence Ship in the 60's killing a lot of people after they gathered intell on them about their human rights abuses and claimed it was an accident. Scum

 

Met plenty of them travelling too, especially in India, and for the most part they were complete pr*cks. They cant help it, they are all a product of army conscription that turns them into paranoid, self-absorbed, arrogant dickheads that think the whole world is out to get them.

 

 

 

Remember in 1947 when this land was to be divided into quaters the Arabs were to be given the two best quarters but they wanted all of it " we will not rest until every jew is driven from our land " Now I can't remember how said this off the top of my head but it says it all really .

 

30 Abrab countries and how may jewish states ????

 

2 , israel and new york

 

Errrr White Russians , please ...........................

 

jewish migration back to mandate palestine had started long before ww2 ill add, and as murph says the arabs had the bulk of all land in mandate palestine (and most fertile) had they agreed to the partition plan (syria, jordan - they really helped their arab buddies by annexing the left overs of palestine right? - egypt and iraq) all invaded the new jewish state straight away and were beaten back. so to say they only pissed of the neighbouring arabs in 1967 is inaccurate

 

1967 they (the neighbouring arabs) were routed again and then tried again in 1973.

 

nobody is defending everything that israel has done or does as policy, as roger says many israelis themselves dont agree with it. whats worse from the palestinian point of view is that their successive corrupt dictators and arab pals have sold them down the river (see recent revelations leaked about abbas giving up east jerusalem as part if a peace  deal).

 

labelling every citizen of israel as scum is racist and a step too far. but like i said this debate has been done before on here and done to death but personally i'll make my points without resorting to labelling a nation of people this, that or the other

 

It's great to see people and nations around the world stand up to the negative pressure of the americans and openly support a Palestinian state. 10 European union states are currently in the process of upgrading the status of Palestinian authority.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

its some place alright murph did the day trip the second time i was there. sure jerusalem was also built by the arabs right? arabs being indeginous to that part of the world, oh wait, i forgot they migrated through force and conquest to spread their religion

 

they had the chance again with Oslo but arafat's stooges showed themselves incapable of following up on what they promised to do. personally profiting at the expense of their impoverished people.

 

there are no rights and wrong in the arab-israeli conflict, both sides have acted deplorably at times and the result is that nobody has truly won. do you think 18 jewish kids having to spend three years of their lives in military service is winning? or people living in gaza on rations is winning? its the status quo between washingston, the israeli right and the bent and morally repugnant PLO which is the problem

 

jews have had a presence in modern day israel for millenia.

 

and for the second time nobody is defending the actions of some sectors of the israeli state, i also take it by saying "anyone who defends the israeli state" you are implying that people are wrong to defend its right to exist? i'd say its little wonder you didnt get along with any israelis you've met.

 

anyone interested in the arab israeli conflict should check out robert fisk'd books, pity the nation (lebanon) and the great war for civilisation

 

do you classify arafat as a war criminal? how about members of hamas who have sanctioned and planned suicide bombings on bars/buses etc?

 

these things are not black and white

 

the same arafat who was imprisoned in his home during the latter years of his life by israel. the same arafat who fought for years for his people for what was rightly theirs. The Irish Bombed and maimed their way to win back what was rightfully theirs why shouldn't the Palatenians do the same against the mighty Israeli occupier? No one else is prepared to intervene for them. what choice do they have? None.

 

and going on to start the 6-day war too.

 

As for the 67 war remember the Arabs invaded Isreal on the hoilest day of the year Yom Kipour and they were routed within 10 days .

 

Wha needs to happen if there will be peace of is that Isreal need to give more land back I can see the West bank or parts been given back but Never Yerusalem ( just spelt in hebrew to up set you  ) as the most holy place on earth the walling wall will never fall back inro Arab hands end of story on that one . Again in the north Mt Heron with borders Leb and Syria would a step too far also .

So all and all this may never end too much blood spent over thousands years .

 

Yer Tom loved Masada climbed to the top for sunrise , even thou its only a small country it's so deiverse .

 

the only defending ive done is stated that it is wrong to label a nation/ethnicity as scum as has been done.

 

all israelis are scum, no substitute the word israeli with nigerians/gypsies/knackers etc and you have my point

The existence of the state of Israel is a racist endeavour.