TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell reflects on sobering visit to Israel

Councillor Ron McDowell with the Israeli Foreign Minister.

TUV deputy leader Councillor Ron McDowell has spoken of his experiences during a visit to Israel, describing it as “sobering, painful and educational.”

Councillor McDowell said the trip followed an invitation from the Israeli Embassy in London, which reached out amid rising antisemitism across the UK and what he described as “a wave of pro-Palestinian propaganda.”

“They invited me to come to Israel as part of a delegation of politicians from Northern Ireland, to see with my own eyes what happened on October 7th — to document it for myself and to share the unfiltered truth with people back home,” he said.

McDowell explained that the Middle East had “become a surprisingly frequent topic” at Belfast City Hall, noting that weekly pro-Palestinian rallies had taken place and that Sinn Féin had “gone so far as to question Invest NI’s engagement with Israeli investors.”

“They struggle to acknowledge thousands of American jobs coming to Northern Ireland simply because the United States supports Israel,” he added.

Witnessing the Human Impact of Conflict

During his visit, the TUV deputy leader said he met “ordinary people who have suffered loss, devastation, and displacement” as a result of ongoing conflict and terrorism.

“I spoke with local leaders from a kibbutzim on Israel’s northern border who recounted their experiences living under constant threat from Hezbollah,” he said.

“The human toll has been immense. Fifty thousand Israeli citizens were evacuated from their homes during the recent conflict. Across the border, 80,000 Lebanese civilians were also forced to flee north as Hezbollah’s actions brought destruction on their own communities.”

He recalled meeting a man whose home had been destroyed by a rocket.

“He wasn’t filled with bitterness — he was a builder who wanted only to rebuild his home, his village, his community,” McDowell said.

“He told me he had much to teach even the Lebanese people about how to live off the land and prosper peacefully. It was a profoundly humbling conversation, one that will stay with me for a long time.”

Remembering the Victims of Tragedy

Councillor McDowell also visited a Druze community near the Lebanon border, where he learned of a devastating attack on 27 July 2024.

“Standing in a children’s play park, I was told of the tragedy that unfolded there,” he said.

“That day, children were playing football when a rocket launched by Hezbollah struck. They had just eight seconds’ warning from the sirens. The rocket landed among them. Twelve children were killed. Forty-eight were injured. Shamefully, the BBC reported that it was an Israeli rocket which was to blame for the massacre.”

He said he met with the fathers of some of the victims, who “told me their one desire: that their story would be told.”

Reflecting on Lessons and Hope

McDowell described the trip as “a reminder that behind every headline and every protest chant are real people — families, farmers, builders, children — whose lives have been shattered by terrorism and war.”

“I know it is the sincere hope of all in the delegation that this visit will result in relationships that we hope can be of real material benefit to the people of Israel and of Northern Ireland,” he concluded.