Sir, – Alan Shatter claims that the flying of the Palestinian flag over Dublin's City Hall "can play no meaningful role in the resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict" ("The Palestinian flag has been flying over Dublin's City Hall", May 12th).
Mr Shatter refers to “the complexities of the long-enduring and tragic conflict between Israelis and Palestinians” as if this “conflict” were a struggle between equals rather than the consequence of Israel’s conquest, occupation and illegal colonisation of Palestinian lands.
Mr Shatter maintains hypothetically that “should further atrocities be perpetrated on Israelis in the coming days and weeks . . . Dublin City Council will be internationally perceived to be supportive of terrorist acts”, as if such atrocities were the norm rather than the exception and exclusively perpetrated by Palestinians. In reality, Palestinians are victims of atrocities perpetrated by Israeli soldiers, police, and illegal settlers on a daily basis.
I believe that in this instance Dublin City Council will be internationally perceived as supportive of the political justice so pitilessly denied to Palestinians. – Yours, etc,
RAYMOND DEANE,
Dublin 1.