Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In anguish and despair the world watches the terrible violence and devastation in Israel and Gaza. Seared on our minds are scenes of civilians killed, wounded and taken hostage. There have been scenes of homes destroyed and entire neighbourhoods wiped out by military bombardment. Lives have been lost and shattered beneath the rubble. The scale of human suffering and the depth of grief is unimaginable. The killing of civilians in Israel by Hamas was unjustifiable and was condemned. Israel's siege of Gaza, which continues decades-long daily brutalisation of Palestinian people, trampling on their human rights, and the wanton violation of international law must be condemned.

Yesterday we lost one of the world's great peacemakers, former Finnish President and Nobel laureate, Martti Ahtisaari. He famously said:

Peace is a question of will. All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.

As Israel lays siege to Gaza, international and European diplomacy needs to heed those words.

EU Commission President von der Leyen's unqualified support for Israel's unmerciful military attack on the people of Gaza and her failure to assert the primacy of international law was reckless, inflammatory and dangerous. Ms von der Leyen does not speak for Ireland.

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