Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and fully support him in Ireland's decision to abstain in the recent vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva. Similar to other EU countries, Ireland abstained in the vote. Our position was and still remains that during the recent hostilities there have been clear breaches of international law on both sides. The resolution before the Council did not include a reference to an investigation of all breaches. In addition, the resolution, as passed, does not provide for use of existing structures within the United Nations to allow an investigation to get under way as speedily as possible.
What has been occurring in Gaza in the past four weeks is a replica of what occurred in 2009. Between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009, 1,440 people died, including 333 Palestinian children. I visited Gaza in February 2009, four weeks after the hostilities had ceased when I saw for myself the damage that had been caused. In addition to the 1,440 people who had been killed, thousands had been injured. During the period I was there I met many individuals and groups. It was evident to me that there had been many human rights breaches and breaches of international law. Together with other MEPs, I reported back to our individual groups in the European Parliament.
At the time we met Mr. John Ging who was head of UNWRA in Gaza. It is important to quote what he said at that meeting in 2009 because what he said then is as relevant today as it was then. He stated:

...the mind sets of the people here, and they are minded at the moment to go the civilised path, but they are being pushed down another path by their circumstances. Who is fighting the extremism and who is helping the extremism? So many kids were killed, so let's focus on them; we don't have to talk about, you know, whether it was ... [302] or 402, but hundreds of children are dead in three weeks; they were undisputedly innocent, nobody disputes that, undisputedly innocent children, but the mothers and fathers here, they want accountability for the deaths of their children and they don't have to beg for it; they're entitled to it; ultimately it is the responsibility of the International Community of the high contracting parties to the Geneva Convention to take effective action to ensure ... there is accountability coming out of this conflict. If you are a mother and father and you have lost your child, how are we to hold them and say "Hold on, hold on, there will be justice" because their answer is "Where, where is the mechanism'! The Israeli answer to the death of a child is "Oh they were being used as human shields"! So we have no accountability for that wrong in the civilised world; we don't shoot the hostage to get the hostage taker; on the face of it, there is a case to be answered and if there is ... [no] credible accountability, how are we going to say to people "Don't go over to getting your own justice."

That is a quote from Mr. John Ging in 2009.

Five years on we are witnessing the same atrocities. The same atrocities occurred in 2012 and over the past four weeks, and we are further away from getting a lasting solution to the conflict.

The United Nations has just confirmed that over 450,000 people have been displaced; that was broadcast in the last hour. In 2009, Israeli forces used white phosphorous, which burns not only the skin but right into the bone. I visited areas where it had been used. They also used cluster munitions, which are the same as the nail bombs used in the conflict here. The use of those materials in 2009 was a breach of international law. No action was taken against Israel, despite the fact that 1,383 Palestinians were killed, including 333 children. If action had been taken at that time, the hostilities that have occurred in the past four weeks may not have happened.

It is important that set out for the record of the House what Amnesty International has recommended. It recommends an immediate cessation of all attacks by all sides that are indiscriminate and disproportionate; direct attacks on civilians, their homes and other civilian property; the lifting of the blockade of Gaza, which amounts to collective punishment of the people-----