Alan Shatter is a former Irish Minister for Justice and Defence, former Fine Gael TD, solicitor and author.
In Part 1 of this extended conversation with Fender Jackson, Shatter reflects on growing up Jewish in Dublin and how his experience of being Jewish in Ireland has changed over the course of his life.
He gives his personal account of waking to news of the Hamas attacks on October 7, discusses the intelligence and security failures that preceded the attack, and considers the political responsibility of the Israeli government.
The conversation then turns to the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the creation of Israel, Palestinian and Jewish displacement, the Six-Day War, Gaza following Israel's 2005 withdrawal, Hamas's rise to power and the conditions in Gaza before October 7.
Fender challenges Shatter on Israel's responsibility for conditions in Gaza, restrictions on fuel and essential supplies, the scale of civilian deaths, the conduct of the war and the accusation that Israel is committing genocide.
Part 2 turns more directly to Ireland: antisemitism, anti-Zionism, sanctions and boycotts, the description of Israel as an apartheid state, Ireland's unusually strong identification with Palestinians, and Shatter's concerns about the future of Jewish life in Ireland.
Recorded in Dublin.
The Ireland Podcast - Recording the island.
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