More than 2,500 citizens back petition delivered to TDs and Senators as Dáil reopens
Dublin, 17 September 2025 – Over 100 Irish civil society organisations, supported by more than 2,500 citizens, will today deliver an open letter and petition to TDs and Senators outside the Dáil, calling on Ireland to join the Hague Group of states and adopt its measures to help stop the genocide being inflicted on the Palestinian people.
The symbolic hand-in takes place today, 17 September, 3:30-4:00 pm at Leinster House, Kildare Street, coinciding with the reopening of the Dáil. Senators Alice Mary Higgins, Lynn Ruane, and Frances Black will formally receive the letter on behalf of the Oireachtas.
The initiative was launched by activists Áine Hume, Rose Kelly and Joe Murray, who then approached national organisations, including Afri and Comhlámh, for support in organising the campaign and mobilising wider civil society. Together, more than 100 organisations have now joined as signatories.
Campaign Co-initiator, Áine Hume, said: “The Hague Group is the first act of international collaboration that directly challenges the horror being inflicted by Israel and backed by the US. Citizens across Ireland – and across the world – are demanding their governments act. Ireland has the chance to take strong, principled action now.”
Rose Kelly, Campaign Co-initiator, emphasised: “As a country that has endured colonisation, partition, and deliberate starvation, Ireland bears a particular moral and historical responsibility to stand with peoples facing occupation and extermination.”
Katie Martin, Coordinator at Afri, stressed that Ireland cannot stand on the sidelines while Palestinians endure daily bombardment, starvation and displacement: “It’s time for the government to take strong steps to end complicity with the ongoing genocide. By joining the Hague Group at the UN General Assembly next week and adopting its six measures, from ending arms transfers and blocking military transit to pursuing justice and enabling prosecutions, Ireland has a real opportunity to help stop genocide and show leadership in the face of mass atrocity.”
Caroline Murphy, CEO of Comhlámh, said: “Irish civil society has come together with a clear, united call: Ireland must act decisively. For decades, Palestinians have called on the international community to act – to stop arming their oppressor, to hold Israel accountable, and to end complicity in crimes against humanity. The Hague Group offers a concrete framework that our government can and should support to end complicity, protect Palestinian lives, and strengthen the international rule of law. At its heart, this is about courage, consistency, and standing in solidarity to protect Palestinian lives and uphold the international rule of law.”
The Hague Group was formed in January 2025 by states from the Global South responding to the International Court of Justice’s preliminary measures in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. Member states have pledged to:
- End arms transfers – prevent the provision of weapons, fuel, and dual-use items to Israel.
- Stop military transit – block vessels carrying arms from docking, transiting or receiving services.
- Enforce shipping controls – deny carriage under national flags and penalise non-compliance.
- Cut state support for occupation – ensure public funds and contracts do not enable Israel’s illegal occupation.
- Pursue justice – advance national and international prosecutions for war crimes and other grave breaches.
- Enable domestic prosecutions – use universal jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
This call represents a broad coalition of Irish civil society, including grassroots groups, community organisations, national and international NGOs, and trade unions, all of which are pressing for decisive government action on foreign policy.
ENDS
—————————————–
NOTES:
Signatories:
- The Civil Society Open Letter: Over 100 Irish civil society organisations, including grassroots groups, community organisations, national and international NGOs, and trade unions, have signed the Civil Society Open Letter. See all the signatories and the Civil Society Open Letter.
- Additionally, more than 2,600 individuals have also signed the petition, and hundreds emailed their TDs.
About the #HagueGroupNow campaign: The Hague Group Now campaign unites over 100 Irish civil society organisations and thousands of citizens calling on Ireland to join the Hague Group of states, a bloc formed in 2025 to coordinate legal and diplomatic action against Israel’s genocide in Palestine. This should happen by 20 September deadline, marking the 80th UN General Assembly.
The campaign urges Ireland to adopt six concrete measures, including ending arms transfers, blocking military transit, enforcing shipping controls, cutting state support for the occupation, and pursuing both international and domestic prosecutions for war crimes.
The campaign was initiated by activists Áine Hume, Rose Kelly and Joe Murray. Two organisations, Comhlámh and Afri, were asked to support their efforts, along with 100+ signatories of the Civil Society Open Letter and 2,500 individuals who signed the petition.
About the Hague Group: The Hague Group is a bloc of countries, formed in January 2025 in response to the International Court of Justice’s preliminary ruling in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. Led largely by states from the Global South, it aims to end Israel’s impunity, enforce international law, and secure Palestinian self-determination through coordinated diplomatic and legal action.
The Group calls on governments worldwide to adopt six urgent measures:
- End arms transfers to Israel.
- Stop the military transit of ships and aircraft carrying weapons.
- Enforce shipping controls, including penalties for non-compliance.
- Cut state support that enables Israel’s illegal occupation.
- Pursue justice through national and international prosecutions.
- Enable domestic prosecutions using universal jurisdiction.
By joining the Hague Group, states commit to concrete, enforceable steps designed to stop genocide and uphold international law.
About Afri: Afri (Action from Ireland) is a justice, peace and human rights organisation working to address the root causes of poverty, conflict, and ecological destruction. Founded in 1975, Afri challenges militarisation, climate injustice, corporate exploitation of resources, and threats to food sovereignty, always foregrounding perspectives from the global South.
Through campaigns, education, and solidarity initiatives, Afri highlights how Irish state policies and economic activities impact communities worldwide. Its work includes events such as the annual Féile Bríde in Kildare, the Louisburgh Famine Walk in Mayo, and the Afri Hedge School, alongside publications, workshops, and partnerships with communities in the global South and North. At its heart, Afri seeks to ensure Ireland plays a meaningful role in promoting global justice, peace, sustainability, and solidarity. To learn more, visit our website: https://www.afri.ie/
About Comhlámh: Established in 1975, Comhlámh is the Irish Association of International Development Workers and Volunteers. As a membership organisation, we build and mobilise a community around global justice issues. Comhlámh nurtures and supports work for change, locally and globally, and advocates for a world beyond injustice. Comhlámh has 50 years of experience in solidarity-based engagement, addressing the most pressing issues of our time. We support people and organisations to mobilise for global justice, including through values-led volunteering, humanitarian responses, and active citizenship. All of Comhlámh’s work is underpinned by a commitment to Global Citizenship Education (GCE), which deepens understanding of the structural causes of inequality and unsustainability, as well as the connections between local and global challenges. Overall, Comhlámh provides a unique and vital space to work in solidarity with others towards a shared goal of a world beyond injustice. Learn more at: www.comhlamh.org