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

There were issues in between that slowed down the decision to actually take it on board and prosecute it. However, it is being prosecuted. It will take in everything from 7 October to the present day, in respect of both Israel and Hamas. It would be very unusual for us to interfere with the courts. One cannot politicise the courts. There is a fear with all of the debates going on, and I understand the emotion, there is a sense that there is a danger that we will over-politicise the international courts. If we do this we will undermine them. There are plenty of actors out there who want to dismiss them and do not want to be held to account before them. We have to be extremely careful about how we handle this. It is easy for political reasons, to say that we will join but the issue is resources for the court. The court is actively pursuing something and it should be allowed to get on with its work. That being said, there has been criticism. I do not know whether there are practical difficulties getting into Gaza, for example, because of the conduct of the war. We can make certain inquiries to see what the challenges are. We can come back to the Deputy or to a future committee on the matter.