John Croy

The Palestinian Lobby in Ireland 🇵🇸🇮🇪: Between January 2016 and May 2026, 255 lobbying returns were filed with the Lobbying Register in Ireland, on behalf of the 'Palestinian Lobby'. For all the dog-whistling and tropes about the power of the 'Jewish lobby' globally, there is very little discussion of the network of Palestinian Advocacy organisations, NGOs and elected officials which aggressively lobbies on behalf of the 'Palestinian cause' and against Israel. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign filed 133 returns in this period for lobbying on a range of issues, from sanctioning the Jewish state to more funding for a network of Palestinian charities... For reference, Apple filed 79 returns during this period and Amazon (one of the largest companies in the world) filed circa 200 returns. Before his election to the Oireachtas, Patrick Costello filed a number of returns for lobbying on behalf of Sadaka, on the 'occupation of Palestine.' More recently, we now see a number of charities who are engaging in flagrantly political lobbying on behalf of the Palestinian movement, including ActionAid Ireland, Comhlámh and Christian Aid Ireland. It's also worth noting that each return is not necessarily relating to one single meeting or engagement, for example one return filed related to lobbying on behalf of Palestinian pertained to meeting(s) with 17 TDs and Senators, whilst others referred to mass lobbying campaigns targeting entire Oireachtas or an entire Council. Furthermore, these engagements are often the first touch-point which then inspire further actions (committee sessions, parliamentary contributions, legislation, motions etc). There are also engagements which fall outside the lobbying register, such as meeting with staffers not recognised as DPOs. The 255 returns filed represent a fraction of the Palestinian lobby's impact and influence in Irish politics and society. So next time we wonder why Ireland is so obsessed with the Palestinian cause and demonising Israel, here is your answer. It is the result of an aggressive and well-executed lobbying campaign which has presented this faraway issue over which Ireland has no influence as a foremost issue of national priority. The use of historical tropes surrounding 'Jewish money' and 'Jewish power' is merely a smear tactic to distract from the very real and sinister efforts on behalf of radical elements of the Palestinian cause. Source: Lobbying.ie