Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Strategically, the land of Palestine has had a tumultuous history. It is the recognised birthplace for both Judaism and Christianity but in the past 1,000 years it has been home to Christians, Jews, Romans and a multitude of warring tribes. It was ruled by the Ottomans for 402 years until 1918 and in 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recommending the partition of Palestine into an independent Arab state, alongside a Jewish state. That brings us up to the present day. The right of Israel to exist has been a deep and burning issue in the region for decades and the rise of fundamental Islamic extremism has added to the tensions in the region, as these extremists formally oppose Israel being in the area.

The rise of the Hamas Government in 2007 has strengthened the need for Israel to manage its borders but this, in turn, has promoted further and greater Islamic fundamentalism in the region. It has also inadvertently pushed Israel into more right-wing government tendencies. On Saturday, 7 October, Hamas orchestrated a devastating rocket attack and incursion into Israeli settlements. The sickening and indiscriminate murder, rape and violence by Hamas-trained soldiers is beyond anything this region and large parts of the world have seen for over 70 years. Hamas, supported by Iran, has long advocated wiping Israel and its people off the map. The murder of 1,400 innocents, including concert-goers and women and children in their homes, cannot be condoned or justified in any way, and nor can the murder of Kim Damti or Emily Hand. The injuring of 4,000 civilians and the taking of 150 hostages, including non-Israeli citizens, back to Gaza to be used as bargaining chips cannot be condoned either.

This has been the backdrop and precursor to the Israeli military operations, with the stated aim to finally eradicate Hamas and its supporters. It has be said that the military capability of Israel is beyond formidable. However, there can be no justification for the collective punishment of the Palestinian population that is taking place, the result of which has been in excess of 3,000 deaths and over 12,500 people wounded. The siege tactics of Israel are completely disproportionate to the mission at hand. The targeting of buildings in Gaza for artillery bombardment also means there is indiscriminate killing of innocent people who have little or no option of escape. The cutting off of the most basic essentials of food and water targets the most vulnerable first. The cutting off of electricity needed to run hospitals and public utilities, along with the refusal to allow in medical supplies, is unconscionable on any level where a civilian population is being so targeted. One cannot blame the entire people for the malevolent actors that operate within society but this is what Israel seeks to do in pursuit of future security. These actions will engender hate, violence and devastation in future and, possibly, wider regional catastrophes.

The international community may know something of the hurt caused to Israel by the recent Hamas actions. In Ireland we understand what hurt engenders. Our history has taught us that you cannot subjugate a nation and think some will not revolt. You cannot indiscriminately kill and think that your life or future are secure and without risk. Ireland, after 30 years of the Troubles, is a clear example that you cannot win hearts and minds with war; only peace delivers that. As a respected member of the international community, Ireland must use all of its diplomatic powers to apply pressure for an immediate cessation of Israeli military actions, including the planned ground invasion. Regional Arab countries must ensure that rocket fire from Hamas and Hezbollah also ceases.

Hostage repatriation discussions must begin immediately and humanitarian corridors must be allowed to open and the movements of the civilian population allowed. Electricity and water must be restored as quickly as possible and vital medical and food supplies must be allowed in. All of this can only happen when such a truce could possibly be supported by international peacekeepers who could be deployed to monitor against future insurgency. The question is whether the will is there. The international community must step up and do its job, a job that we, collectively, have ignored for decades. The future of Israel and Palestine can only lie in a two-state solution. It is the only arrangement that offers true independence and security to the regional populations. All the regional stakeholders must agree and be prepared to sit down, and they must be called out to be prepared to sit down, to see how such a solution can be achieved. It will require international oversight and probably for many years to come. What is certain is that the present actions of Israel are playing into the hands of Islamic fundamentalism. Neither Israel nor the wider world can afford a resurgence of such ideology. A peaceful future for Israel and Palestine can be forged. It is unlikely to happen without the fulsome support of the Arabic and western powers that seek finally to recognise the rights of Palestinians and Israelis to live and occupy the lands of their forefathers.

As a small nation which continues to tread a path of peace among its own people, Ireland can be an example of what might be for Israel and Palestine, where hardliners and militants are the new enemies and where compromise is a step that must be taken because compromise is not alone the language of peace but is also the price of it. At this stage of the conflict, and in honour of all those who have sacrificed their lives, it is the only price worth paying.

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