Ireland’s President, Catherine Connolly, is in London, doing the rounds with King Charles – sandwiches, small talk, the full diplomatic biscuit tin. She arrived in the manner of all visiting heads of state; gracious, stylishly dressed, saying nothing that could be used against her before the vol-au-vents had cooled.
Meanwhile, somewhere on the high seas between Cyprus and Gaza, her 69-year-old sister has been kidnapped.
Or intercepted. The Israelis prefer intercepted. The distinction matters enormously to one party and not much to the other, and the party to whom it does matter is currently in Israeli custody, which suggests the Israelis have won that particular argument. At least for now.Dr Margaret Connolly – GP, activist, and apparently one of the few people in western Europe who still believes a flotilla will shift Israeli policy – sailed as part of a 60-vessel convoy toward Gaza to ‘break the siege’. The ships were boarded by the IDF in a scene that has become so reliably repetitive it practically runs on autopilot.
The ships sail. The Israelis intercept them. Everyone films everything. A statement is released. Various foreign ministers express grave concern. The assorted activists are fed challah sandwiches and put on an El Al flight back to whence they came.
