Remark comes as pressure grows on Ireland to boycott upcoming Nations League matches against Israel in Budapest and Dublin over Gaza actionsynet| Related TopicsIreland is facing growing pressure over upcoming soccer matches against Israel after a Derry city councilor said he planned to publish the names of Israeli national team players he claimed had “participated in the genocide” in Gaza.Shaun Harkin, a member of the People Before Profit party, made the comments during a City Council debate on a motion urging the Football Association of Ireland not to play two Nations League matches against Israel. The games are scheduled for Sept. 27 in Budapest and Oct. 4 in Dublin.2 View gallery Pro-Palestinian rally in Dublin, Ireland (Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne)During the debate, Harkin also referred to the war in Gaza and Israel’s international activities, including the recent Gaza-bound aid flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces while attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of the territory, which he called “unacceptable.”“Many teams refused to play South Africa and it had a massive impact on breaking and dismantling that regime. We should not be normalizing genocide,” he said, drawing a comparison with the international sporting boycott of apartheid-era South AfricaThe issue has already spilled into Ireland’s stadiums. A friendly between Ireland and Qatar in Dublin was stopped twice after fans protested the upcoming matches against Israel. Supporters threw tennis balls onto the field, displayed a large banner reading “#StopTheGame,” chanted “Free Palestine” and waved Palestinian flags.2 View gallery Ireland supporters throw tennis balls onto the field during a match against Qatar in protest of the national team's upcoming games against Israel (Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)Despite the protests, the Irish soccer federation has said it is determined to hold the matches as scheduled.Ireland midfielder Jamie McGrath said after the team’s 1-0 win over Qatar that he expects the protests and public pressure to intensify in the coming months.“I'm sure it's going to heat up over the next few months,” McGrath told the BBC. “We don't want to be put into a position. Hopefully, the powers above us can work something out or use it for the greater good, I'm not sure what the process will be as it heats up.”McGrath also referred to comments by Ireland captain Seamus Coleman, who said earlier this week that the situation “should have been dealt with above us.”“I obviously listened to Seamus' interview and I think he was spot on,” McGrath said. “It's obviously a unique scenario.”He said people had the right to protest as long as they stayed within the law. “The people [protesters], we have to listen to them, they have the right to do what they do, as long as it's done in a peaceful way, that's all that matters,” he said.McGrath said the players themselves do not know how the situation will develop. “To be honest, I've no idea,” he said. “We obviously touched on it a few days, I'm sure as it heats up, it might be taken out of our hands, I'm not sure.”Comments