Kildare North TD condemns Gaza genocide after reports he holds Israeli tied stocks

After being appointed to the Oireachtas artificial intelligence (AI) committee last month, it was reported last night that Kildare North TD Naoise Ó Cearúil holds stock of over €13,000 in restricted stock units, a form of company compensation, in an Israel-founded AI company.

According to his LinkedIn, Ó Cearúil worked for the company, Gong, for two years and eight months and was in charge of ‘Managing Gong's largest accounts’ in Europe, the Middle East and Africa’.

Ó Cearúil released statement after further inquiries were made by the Leinster Leader earlier today, it read: “First and foremost, I want to state in the clearest possible terms that I absolutely condemn the genocide being carried out in Gaza. My support for the Palestinian people is steadfast and unwavering. I have consistently called for an immediate ceasefire, accountability for war crimes, and full humanitarian access. My position on this matter is a matter of public record and remains unchanged.”

As was first reported in The Ditch, Ó Cearúil declared restricted stock units worth €13,154.86 in his previous employer Gong, in his Dáil register. Gong was founded in Israel in 2015 by Amit Bendov and Eilon Reshef and is currently based in San Francisco. Reshef was a software developer and product owner in the Israel Defense Forces from 1990 to 1993, conducting intelligence work, according to his LinkedIn profile. Bendov served in the IDF’s armoured corps, according to Israeli media. 

When asked by The Ditch if it’s appropriate for him to sit on the AI committee, Ó Cearúil said, “There is no conflict, my ethics declaration is available to the public. Additionally, If there was a potential conflict of interest during a session, I will recuse myself from that session.”

Also included in Ó Cearúil’s statement of response was comment regarding the media coverage of his previous employment.

He stated that, “Before my election to Dáil Éireann in 2024, I worked for the technology company Gong for two and a half years. As part of my standard terms of employment, which is common practice in the tech industry, I received a number of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). These are not liquid assets. They cannot be sold or transferred unless and until the company goes public, which it has not.

“From the outset, I have been fully transparent about this. These RSUs were declared in my ethics statement, which is publicly available and fully compliant with all disclosure requirements.

“I want to state unequivocally: I have never used my position in public office to benefit myself financially, nor have I allowed any personal interest to interfere with my public duties.”

The Ditch also reported that one of Gong’s earliest and largest investors is Cisco Investments, the venture capital wing of Cisco Systems, a major provider of both software and hardware to the Israel Defense Forces.

Cisco has been one of the Israeli military’s primary technology vendors since 2017 when it got a five-year contract to succeed Hewlett-Packard as the sole provider of servers to the IDF. 

Ó Cearúil told The Ditch that he didn’t know about Cisco’s investments in Gong nor was he aware of a way of transferring this stock.

The Kildare North TD’s statement concluded, “Gong has had no interaction with the committee, has not sought to influence its work, and has not been involved in any government tenders or contracts.

“Gong is a company that provides software solutions primarily to sales teams within other software companies, a highly specific and niche sector. To the best of my knowledge, Gong has not applied for, nor does it currently appear likely to seek, government contracts in Ireland. However, should any situation arise in the future where a potential conflict of interest is identified, I will recuse myself from all related committee discussions or decisions.

“Transparency and integrity are core to how I conduct myself as a public representative. I will continue to work hard on behalf of my constituents and to ensure that emerging technologies serve the public good, with strong ethical foundations. I will also continue to do everything within my ability to advocate for peace in Gaza and to help bring this horrific conflict to an end.”

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