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

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am extremely concerned by the incursion by Israeli forces into Ramallah last week, which was significant in scale and resulted in civilian casualties, several resulting from the use of live ammunition. This action forms part of a deeply worrying trend that we have witnessed over recent months, including the raids by Israeli forces on the city of Nablus and Jenin refugee camp, which have been previously raised in this House. It is telling that, against this backdrop, the United Nations has reported that the number of Palestinian fatalities in the first quarter of 2023 is almost three times higher than the same period in 2022. Palestinian injuries from live ammunition are six times higher.

I am concerned not only by the fact of this encouragement but also its objective: the demolition of the family home of a person accused of a terrorist attack. The fourth Geneva Convention provides that no protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. I have not yet engaged in detail with the European Union's Israeli counterparts on this specific incident but I have consistently set out Ireland's principled position, namely, that Israel is the occupying power and it must abide by its obligations under international law, including the requirement to protect the civilian population. Recourse to measures that are clearly contrary to international law will only lead us further away from a negotiated peace based on a two-state solution.

Ireland does not stand alone on this. The European Union has repeatedly called on Israel to halt continued settlement expansion, evictions, demolitions and forced transfers. In February, the UN Security Council reiterated its strong opposition to all unilateral measures that impede peace, including the demolition of Palestinian homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians. I urge Israel to pay heed to the international consensus on such actions.

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