Why ‘left' and ‘woke' are not the same thing
On the Inside Politics podcast she talks to Hugh Linehan about what she means by 'woke' and why its appeal to traditional left-wing tendencies, like solidarity and supporting the underdog, helps disguise its more reactionary elements.
They also talk about Germany's relationship with Israel and how its own history influences German views on what is happening in Gaza.
Susan Neiman is an American moral philosopher, commentator and author known for her work on ethics, the Enlightenment and contemporary politics. She is the director of The Einstein Forum, a think-tank based in Potsdam, Germany.
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Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Trump and Netanyahu to discuss new Gaza ceasefire deal at White House
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he hoped a meeting with US president Donald Trump would push forward a deal to release Israeli hostages in Gaza , as he left for Washington amid growing discontent in his cabinet about a potential ceasefire in the war with Hamas . Mr Netanyahu sent a negotiating team to Doha, Qatar on Sunday seeking to finalise a US-brokered deal to halt the fighting for 60 days, release 28 Israeli hostages and begin talks on a permanent end to the war. That came despite his office rejecting the Palestinian militant group's latest demands as 'unacceptable'. 'We're working to achieve this deal that has been discussed, according to the terms that we agreed to ... And I certainly think the conversation with President Trump can help advance this result that we're all hoping for,' Mr Netanyahu told reporters at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday. Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Photograph: Stoyan Nenov/AP It will be Mr Netanyahu's third visit to the White House since the US president was inaugurated in January, more than any other world leader. It also follows last month's Israeli and US attacks on Iran . READ MORE Mr Netanyahu said he would thank Mr Trump for his 'strong enlistment on behalf of Israel ... against our common enemy, Iran,' as he vowed to 'remain vigilant' against any attempt by Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Mr Trump told reporters on Sunday evening that 'we're close to a deal on Gaza' and 'we could have it this week'. 'I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the week, during the coming week, pertaining to quite a few of the hostages. You know, we've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out,' he said. Mr Trump added that Iran would also be discussed with the Israeli prime minister. 'We're working on a lot of things with Israel, and one of the things is probably a permanent deal with Iran. Otherwise, they have to give up all of the things that you know so well,' he added. US president Donald Trump points to the new US flag, not pictured, on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg The two leaders are also expected to discuss the possibility of normalising diplomatic relations or reaching other security deals between Israel and neighbouring Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Syria . After the Iran war, 'clearly we have changed the Middle East beyond recognition, and we have an opportunity to change it even further,' Mr Netanyahu said on Sunday. Most Arab officials maintain that any move to normalise ties would require at the very least an end to the Gaza war, and probably a pathway to a future Palestinian state. Mr Trump has made clear his desire for a ceasefire in Gaza, and said on Friday that he was 'very optimistic'. Yet over the weekend pressure grew on Mr Netanyahu from far-right allies in his governing coalition, who voiced opposition to any halt in the war and any increase in the meagre aid allowed into the shattered enclave. More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gazan health authorities, in the conflict triggered by Hamas's October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel. As part of the proposal drafted by the US, Qatar and Egypt – seen by the Financial Times – over the course of the initial 60-day ceasefire a large influx of aid would take place through the UN and other international aid groups. This UN-led mechanism was halted in effect by Israel in March, as it first instituted a 10-week siege and then began implementing a private aid scheme, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, supported by the Trump administration. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich criticised Mr Netanyahu on Sunday for not fulfilling what he said were previous government decisions to promote mechanisms designed to prevent aid from falling into the hands of Hamas. 'The decision made yesterday [by Mr Netanyahu's security cabinet], contrary to our position, to introduce aid in the old and bad way is unacceptable to us and we will consider our steps against it,' Mr Smotrich wrote on X. Smoke and debris billow after an Israeli strike on Gaza on Sunday. Photograph: Maya Levin/AFP via Getty Images Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also criticised the proposal, demanding that Israeli military force reconquer the whole enclave, halt all aid and encourage Gazans to 'emigrate'. According to the draft proposals, 'serious negotiations' to end the war – a long-held Hamas demand – would start on day one, with mediators set to provide guarantees to extend the truce should more time be needed to reach a permanent ceasefire. More negotiations would be needed to determine the extent of the Israeli military's withdrawal during the truce, with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails also being released in exchange for the hostages. Mr Netanyahu has consistently refused to commit to ending the war until 'total victory' over Hamas is achieved. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
TD who served with Unifil warns end of UN Lebanon mandate would be 'catastrophic'
A TD who served as a peacekeeper in Lebanon has warned that a threatened discontinuation of our Unifil mandate would have a 'catastrophic' impact on Ireland's reputation. It comes amid growing concern in Government that the UN's peacekeeping operation in southern Lebanon, which Ireland has been involved in since 1978, may not have its mandate renewed next month. Recounting her 'eye-opening' experience with the Irish Defence Forces in Lebanon, Carlow-Kilkenny TD Catherine Callaghan said: 'The region is so volatile, can you imagine the impact it will have on the men, women, and children who call Lebanon their home and who, for generations, have felt protected and reassured by the UN presence?' Carlow-Kilkenny TD Catherine Callaghan said: 'If the Unifil mandate is not renewed in eight weeks' time, Ireland will have to leave Lebanon, but other nations can stay under Chapter 8 of the UN Charter. This would have a catastrophic effect on Ireland's peacekeeping reputation.' More than 340 Irish peacekeepers are currently deployed to Lebanon, but there are concerns that the US will move to effectively end or scale back the operation through reduced funding when the Unifil, or United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, mandate comes up for renewal on August 31. 'If the Unifil mandate is not renewed in eight weeks' time, Ireland will have to leave Lebanon, but other nations can stay under Chapter 8 of the UN Charter,' Ms Callaghan said. 'This would have a catastrophic effect on Ireland's peacekeeping reputation.' The Fine Gael politician, who was a member of the air corps, also warned that current members of the Defence Forces are now reluctant to wear uniform outside of barracks. 'Unfortunately, what has been the case in the last while anyway, is that the majority of the press that the Defence Forces has received has been in a negative,' she said, citing a number of high-profile court cases. 'From speaking to serving members, they have got out of the habit of wearing their uniform if they're going downtown, they wouldn't want to be recognised.' Tánaiste Simon Harris talking to Irish Defence Forces troops serving on the Unifil peacekeeping mission during his visit to Camp Shamrock near the Israel-Lebanon border in March of this year. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Calling for a 'day of appreciation', Ms Callaghan added that 'there's probably an educational body of work that could be done to inform people, more generally, of the important role of Defence Forces'. 'It will always have a special place in my heart for the way that it helped me as an individual, and then as well, for the experiences that I had with my colleagues,' she said. Detailing her own tour of Lebanon, she said Defence Forces members there were 'always very aware of the risk to your security', but that there was a 'real camaraderie' between the troops. 'We were way up in the valleys and the hills of southern Lebanon. You're very far removed from towns and cities. Beirut is completely different to where we were stationed. So it's really rural. 'You're acutely aware that there are people that you're there to protect, that if the UN forces, if Unifil was not there in Lebanon, that life would be much more challenging for the citizens of Lebanon.'
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Netanyahu to land in US after 'inconclusive' Gaza ceasefire talks
US President Donald Trump said there was a "good chance" of a hostage deal with Hamas "during the week," ahead of his upcoming meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas... during the coming week," Mr Trump told reporters amid mounting pressure on the Israeli prime minister to agree to a ceasefire and end the war in Gaza after almost two years. Mr Netanyahu said yesterday he hoped his talks in Washington could "help advance" a Gaza ceasefire deal. Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu are scheduled to meet at the White House - the Israeli prime minister's third visit since Mr Trump returned to power in January. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas were under way in Qatar yesterday. Two Palestinian sources familiar with the matter said that the first session of indirect talks ended inconclusively. They added that the Israeli delegation did not have a sufficient mandate to reach an agreement with Hamas. "After the first session of indirect negotiations in Doha, the Israeli delegation is not sufficiently authorized and is not authorized to reach an agreement with Hamas, as it has no real powers", the sources said. Mr Netanyahu said, before his departure to Washington, that Israeli negotiators taking part in the ceasefire talks have clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions that Israel has accepted. Israeli hostages "We've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out," Mr Trump said. He said the United States was "working on a lot of things" with Israel, including "probably a permanent deal with Iran." Mr Trump also repeated claims that US strikes "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities during the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict. Since the start of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, mediators have brokered pauses in fighting during which hostages were freed in exchange for Israel-held Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's military campaign, lack of food and dire humanitarian conditions for more than two million people in Gaza has killed at least 57,418 people there, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
