I have this weird theory about Irish lib-left circles ,as well as in much of Europe, it works like this :-
If a state is basically white/European/Western and it is oppressing non-whites then it is evil and must be shunned and even attacked.
If a state is non-white and it is oppressing non-whites then ,well it's not O.K., but we're not going to shun or attack it. Or at least most of us won't -we're too busy attacking israel.
Israel is a "white" state. Not technically correct -but the perception is that it's basically a European entity settled in amongst a non-European area. (Actually, half its Jewish population are Mizrachi -i.e. mainly from Arab/Asian countries who look no different from Palestinians-plus there's a sprinkling of black ,usually Falasha, Jews and even an Indian community of Jews-Bnai Israel).
Israel is also a state fanatically supported by the USA- which makes it extra bad.
Israel can act in a stupid arrogant manner, especially under the present extreme right-wing government with thugs like Lieberman in its cabinet. The support for the expansionist, often brutish, religious nutcase settlers is disconcerting to those of us who admire the great achievements of Israel. The daily humiliation of ordinary Palestinain men,women and children at check-points, the grabbing of their land -and so on and so on...... all very bad and it's O.K. to protest against these things.
But why barely a whimper from the same protesters against the monstrous activties of so many other regimes -whether its Iran,Libya (until recently), Syria. Why are there tens of thousands oF Western Saharis in refugee camps in ALgeria whilst Morocco occupies their land ?
The Arab Khartoum regime for thirty years killed hundreds of thousands of black Southern Sudanese-where were the protests? Why such refusal amongst the Moslems states occupying Kurdistan to deny independence to the Kurds.? Only ,with Usa, help did the Iraqi part of Kurdistan achieve some form of autonomy- No chance in Turkey or Iran. (In Turkey, Kurdish MPs, along with thousands of Kurdish demonstrators, are imprisoned whilst Turkey is upholding the democratic rights of the Syrians and Palestinians!)
It's not just Arabs or Moslems persecuting their own people or their own ethnic minorities. Many African and Asian states do the same. But nary a word of protest from the anti-Israeli lobby.
Now the anti-Israeil lobby is going further -not just content with protests they are now boycotting and forcing others to do so -whilst tens of thousands languish in African and Asian jails because of their writings, speeches, actions or views (- if they havent already been tortured or killed).