 Hi friends and subscribers and welcome back to my YouTube channel, my name is Daniel Rosell. Recently I put out quite a few videos covering various aspects of the bitter Ireland-Israel relationship. It hasn't gone unnoticed here in Israel, especially as of late, that Ireland is probably the most strident critic of Israeli policy in the EU. As an Irish born Jew, now living in Israel, I thought that it was time to offer my perspective on this subject. The question of why Ireland remains overwhelmingly anti-Israel has cropped up at various junctures over the years. I thought this was a fitting moment to look at this question afresh. One of the most common explanations preferred by Irish people to explain their steadfast opposition to Israel is the parallel that they see between their own experience of English colonialism and what they perceive Israel to be doing to the Palestinians. This claim however is essentially complete and utter bullshit. Just like the malicious accusation that Israel is in a apartheid country or conducting ethnic cleansing, it doesn't take much scrutiny or brainpower to pull apart this theory, although that never seems to stop those intent on bashing Israel. It does make me wonder however whether the argument is even offered in good faith to begin with. Let's refresh on some history. Ireland was colonized by the British in the 16th century. Protestant settlers from Great Britain decided to relocate to their western neighbour, and thus began several centuries of very acrimonious relations between the two countries that continues to some extent to this very day. Although the Good Friday agreement brought about an end to active hostilities in Northern Ireland, the island of Ireland remains divided between the Republic of Ireland to the south and Northern Ireland to the north. When Irish people rail about Israel they like to allege that what Israel did to the Palestinians in 1948 is exactly analogous to what the English did to them although centuries ago. The problem is that this argument deliberately chooses to ignore well basically all of Jewish history. It also creatively invents some non-existent history on the side of the Palestinians. The end result is a complete distortion of fact. Unlike the English in Ireland, Jews are native to the land of Israel. Judaism, both as a religion and as an ethnic group, began in the modern land of Israel. Even modern Jews who have lived in the Jewish diaspora for generations, long after their ancestors expulsion from the land of Israel at the hand of the Romans, share a largely common set of DNA. In fact, despite that expulsion after the destruction of the Second Temple, there has been a continuous Jewish presence in Israel from the time of their emergence as a people through to the present day. Even when modern day Israel was part of the Ottoman Empire and in fact for centuries before that time there were still Jews living in Israel. Just like the English invasion of Ireland in the 16th century, these are historical facts. By contrast, until the UN began looking at the question of partitioning the territory which the Arab states rejected, there was no people that could be described as Palestinian. Sure, there may have been Arabs living in the territory when it was under Ottoman rule, but no homogeneous Palestinian leadership or people existed. Even the name Palestinian was actually given to the land by the Romans. So if you're looking for fitting historical comparisons to make, unfortunately this one just doesn't even come close to cutting the mustard. Jews are indigenous to Israel and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the influx of Jews to it from all over the world is perhaps the only instance in modern world history of a displaced people returning to their ancestral homeland. The English in Ireland, well let's just say that that bitter chapter in history is simply an entirely different set of facts. Want to get more videos from me? Please consider liking this video and subscribing to this YouTube channel.