Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McDonald for raising this very important and very serious matter once again in the Dáil. I say once again that Ireland unreservedly condemns the brutal attack by Hamas and other militant groups on Israel and the devastating loss of life it has caused. We also condemn the terrorist attacks that occurred in France last week and in Belgium only yesterday. We also demand the release of all hostages without any conditions immediately.

Israel has the right to defend itself and to pursue Hamas terrorists who attacked its civilian population, and we accept that right. However, Israel's response must be exercised within the parameters of international humanitarian law; even wars have rules. Collective punishment should not be inflicted on the population in Gaza. Citizens must be protected and Gaza must have access to humanitarian aid. There must be the establishment of humanitarian corridors. There is also a need to prevent the conflict from escalating and spreading to other parts of the region, which is an enormous concern at the moment.

This afternoon I will attend an extraordinary meeting of the European Council by video conference to discuss the unfolding crisis and to aim to have a united response from the European Union building on the joint statement we issued on Sunday. I expect the Council will repeat its strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of brutal terrorist attacks that occurred on Israeli soil and also reconfirm our condemnation of Hamas. But I also expect, and hope, that we will call for a de-escalation of this conflict. Ireland will be calling for a humanitarian pause so that refugees, including some of our own citizens, can get out and supplies can get into Gaza. The conflict between Israel and the Arabs has been going on for more than 75 years. It has been 75 years of wars, refugees and terrorism. There is no military solution to this conflict. The solution can only be one based on peace between Israel and Palestine and based on peace between Israel and the Arab states that surround it. When the fighting stops, and let us hope it does not go on for too long, there will be a need for a new peace initiative involving partners like the US, the EU, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other countries. What we have to do now and prioritise in the next couple of weeks is make sure that civilians are protected, humanitarian corridors are established and that any actions Israel takes to remove terrorists from Gaza are done in accordance with international law.

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