They equate the Palestinians being persecuted by Israel with their being persecuted by the British. I'd personally offer the opinion that if anyone has been persecuted in Ireland this last century it's the British protestants who have lived on the island for many generations, even after the free state and the crown formed the Anglo Irish agreement. Peace and mutual benefit wasn't enough for anti treaty rebels. Not to say Catholics were always treated well in NI, or in pre-treaty Ireland.

The IRA also had ties with hamas, with whom they traded weapons and training. Both organisations were and are quite good at murder.

Anyway I don't subscribe the the whole palestine-republican, Israel-loyalist thing. It seems to me a parallel only very dim or uninformed individuals propagate.