Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty said in private messages seen by The Ditch that “Israeli settlements were conducted under international law” and expressed frustration that Hamas had asked the UN to look after Palestinian refugees instead of “their own bloody government”.
The International Court of Justice ruled last year that Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is unlawful.
Doherty warned last week that Israel would retaliate if the Occupied Territories Bill was enacted and said her “worst fear” was that the government wouldn’t get an invitation to the White House next March.
Doherty, then a senator, was contacted on social media in early November 2023 by a woman concerned about Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
During the exchange Doherty expressed her annoyance that Hamas had asked the UN to look after Palestinian refugees and “not their own (Hamas’s) bloody government”.
In response to comedian and activist Tadhg Hickey’s social media post saying “Centrist takes are worse than Zionist ones”, Doherty said the Corkman’s “polarising theme (on Gaza) has resulted in years of killing”. She also said the “centrist view” was the “only way to getting a ceasefire”.
The former leader of the Seanad later said in another direct message to the woman, “The Israeli settlements were conducted under international law and the fact that you refuse to accept that is odd to say the least”.
Doherty has been contacted for comment.
