Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agaibh, a Chathaoirligh and Senators.

In Gaza we continue to bear witness to a brutal conflict: 136 long days of war, 100,000 dead, injured or missing, 1.9 million displaced and 90% facing acute hunger. These are numbers but they describe a human reality of mass suffering on an industrial scale, a humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes. More than half of the population of Gaza is now taking shelter in Rafah. Almost 1.5 million people are displaced from their home and seeking refuge. Crammed into Rafah, these war-weary people are in dire need of the basics for survival: food, water, sanitation and shelter.

What they do not need is further military escalation. This casts a dark shadow that will jeopardise life-saving humanitarian operations and bring death, destruction and devastation. Senators will agree when I say this cannot be allowed to happen. A ceasefire now is more urgent than ever.

In New York in the past hour or so, a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza was put to a vote. The United States used its veto to prevent the adoption of this resolution. I deeply regret this. I have been demanding such a ceasefire for months and will continue to demand it. It is high time the UN Security Council finds its voice and calls unequivocally for an immediate ceasefire.

I have said before and say again the veto is an anachronism and has no place in the 21st century. Its use - even the threat of its use - has neutered the Security Council at times when its responsibility to act is most acute. This erodes the legitimacy of the Security Council. We saw this during our recent term on the council. As I made clear at the Munich Security Conference, our view is simple: it should be abolished.

Calling for an immediate ceasefire is a message I brought yesterday to the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The European Union should join the vast majority of the international community and call unequivocally for an immediate ceasefire. Silence is not tenable. I welcome that 26 EU member states agreed a statement urging Israel not to proceed with an offensive in Rafah.

It is a message I gave to the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, during a conversation I had with him at the Munich Security Conference last week, when I underlined Ireland's deep concern about the situation in Rafah. I also recalled our consistent position calling for an immediate ceasefire, unconditional release of hostages and full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.

It is hard to overstate the urgency of the humanitarian emergency we are witnessing in Gaza. Every day it deteriorates. At the Foreign Affairs Council, we discussed the deteriorating situation with the UN senior humanitarian co-ordinator, Sigrid KaagHumanitarian responders face access denials and genuine danger. Acute hunger is now a daily reality for virtually everyone in Gaza. These people are on the brink of starvation and famine. Unsanitary conditions are a breeding ground for disease. People need water and food. Hospitals and clinics need fuel and medical supplies. In this context, I highlight the vital work of humanitarian actors, including the UN Relief and Works Agency. I had the opportunity to welcome UNRWA's commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, to Dublin last week. We discussed the work UNRWA is doing in incredibly difficult circumstances in Gaza. My view is absolutely clear; UNRWA cannot be replaced. It is the backbone of humanitarian efforts in Gaza and provides a range of essential services not only in Gaza, but across the region. It will also be vital for the reconstruction of Gaza in the event of a ceasefire and peace process. When its mandate was last renewed at the UN General Assembly, it enjoyed the support of 157 countries. Just one country voted against the resolution. The will of the international community is clear. UNRWA has an important job to do.

The allegations that 12 UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October terrorist attacks are very serious indeed. UNRWA took immediate action to terminate their contracts. The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services is now investigating the specifics of the allegations. In addition, the UN Secretary General appointed an independent review group, led by the former French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna. This group will assess how UNRWA is ensuring neutrality and responding to any allegations of serious breaches that arise. These are important steps and I welcome them. I call on all parties, including Israel, to provide whatever information they have on the allegations to the investigation.

Ireland is a long-standing supporter of UNRWA and, right now, it needs support more than ever. That is why I was pleased last week to announce €20 million of Irish support for UNRWA operations in 2024. As the House will know, some on UNRWA's key donors suspended their funding based on the allegations. I have been engaging actively with our partners in the European Union and elsewhere, including the United States, to press them to urgently rescind this decision. UNRWA provides services not just in Gaza, but also to the 5.9 million Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank.

This was a reminder, if we needed it, that this war has implications that go far beyond the Gaza Strip. We see that in the escalation in fighting along Israel's northern frontier with Lebanon, where Irish troops are deployed with UNIFIL. We see it in Yemen, where the Houthis have been attacking global shipping. Just yesterday, at the Foreign Affairs Council, the European Union agreed to establish a new defensive naval operation in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides.

Today, I reiterate my condemnation of the brutal Hamas attacks of 7 October. It was an appalling terrorist attack that has deeply scarred Israeli society. All hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza must be immediately and unconditionally released. The hostages and their families have suffered for 136 days. That must be brought to an end. Hamas should lay down its arms.

I also reiterate that the Israeli response in Gaza has been disproportionate. Even wars have rules. International humanitarian law exists for a reason. It aims to protect all civilians in all situations of armed conflict. These rules apply to all parties, both state actors and non-state actors. They require distinction, proportionality and precaution. Military actions must comply with these principles. What we are witnessing in the scale of civilian casualties and the vast swathes of the strip reduced to rubble leads me to the conclusion that Israel's actions have violated international humanitarian law. In 2022, Ireland hosted a high-level conference on protecting civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Some 85 countries have endorsed the political declaration adopted in Dublin, which is an important signal that reinforces obligations under international humanitarian law. I will take the opportunity to once again condemn attacks directed at civilians. I condemn indiscriminate attacks, including indiscriminate rocket fire.I condemn the use of heavy munitions with a wide blast area in densely populated urban centres, where civilian harm is expected. The civilian death toll and the massive destruction of property throughout Gaza are gravely concerning. The civilian impact on this scale is not in line with the requirements under international law that self-defence be necessary and proportionate, and in the Government's view, Israel has exceeded these limits in its response to the Hamas attacks. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. This includes healthcare workers, clinics, hospitals and ambulances. Health must never be targeted.

Journalists are protected as civilians. The Committee to Protect Journalists has described the war as “the most dangerous situation for journalists we have ever seen”. Of the 99 journalists killed worldwide in 2023, 72 were Palestinians killed in Gaza after 7 October. Journalists and other media workers who cover conflicts are courageous. In the face of grave risks to their lives, they bring us the truth, and this must never be targeted.

This war has destroyed so much. UNICEF estimates that at least 17,000 children are now unaccompanied or separated from their parents in Gaza. This unspeakable situation has led to a terrible new initialism, WCNSF - wounded child, no surviving family. I shudder to think about the trauma these children are experiencing. This emotional toll may last much longer than the immediate physical danger they face every day. For these children, education is an anchor, but all the UNRWA schools are closed. UNICEF estimates that 625,000 students in Gaza have been deprived of education since 7 October, that is, deprived of their human rights to education. Ending this conflict will allow UNRWA to begin the painful and slow work to rebuild the education system and get students back into the classroom, where they belong. This is fundamental; it cannot happen soon enough.

This week, the Attorney General will appear before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. He will set out Ireland's detailed legal analysis of Israel's occupation of Palestine. These advisory proceedings are an important opportunity for the ICJ to pronounce on the matter. We have long been outspoken on Israel's occupation and supported this referral to the International Court of Justice. It is, therefore, right and proper that we participate in these proceedings.

As for South Africa's case against Israel under the genocide convention, the House will be aware we are monitoring this closely. I welcome the ICJ's binding provisional measures. South Africa last week made an urgent request seeking additional measures in response to the situation in Rafah. We are undertaking a comprehensive legal and policy analysis of this case and engaging with South Africa. After South Africa has submitted its memorial to the court, we will then consider how to proceed. The key point for us is that we take these issues seriously and consider them rigorously. Before the international courts, we will prepare our legal grounds and work prior to interventions. These issues are not about issuing press releases but about serious, sustained and proper interventions. Meanwhile, the ICC prosecutor continues to actively investigate possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine. I met Karim Khan in Munich last weekend and discussed progress in this case. The ICC remains an important avenue for accountability.

Another part of the accountability framework is EU sanctions against Hamas, as well as proposed EU sanctions against violent settlers in the West Bank in response to the violence there, which has drastically increased since October. Yesterday, at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, I underlined that sanctions should be adopted without delay. The United States has adopted sanctions, as have the United Kingdom and France. It is high time for the European Union to act against those who attack and displace Palestinian communities. One country objected to that yesterday, while 26 wanted to go ahead.Last week, Ireland and Spain wrote to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission, to call for an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations under the European Union-Israel association agreement. This sends a clear signal. Human rights are not optional extras; they are central to agreements like this. We take human rights compliance seriously. I am looking forward to the response of the Commission.

At the Munich Security Conference I also met the foreign ministers of Norway, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan, among others. In all my meetings, one thing was clear: we cannot lose sight of the need for a comprehensive political track leading to a Palestinian state and an Arab-led peace plan. This brutal war is just the latest cycle in a long and inhumane conflict. There will be many more cycles unless we take steps to address root causes. We need to build a pathway to a sustainable peace, and that pathway is firmly rooted in the two-state solution and in Security Council resolutions. In Ireland, we have a voice in the European Union and the United Nations. Here in this Chamber, Senators, too, have a voice. As I conclude, I pay tribute to a powerful voice in this Chamber. Senator David Norris devoted his final speech in the Seanad last month to Palestine, urging us "to continue to push for peace in our times". I assure the House that I will continue to push. I will push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. I will push for the unconditional release of all hostages. I will push for full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and I will certainly push for lasting peace in our times.