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

They said we should campaign. I do not think we are not in a position to do that, although we have written to the EU with Spain. Ours are the two countries in the EU that have written to the EU in respect of the trade association agreement with Israel, and Ireland has said we want a review and examination of that in the context of our view on Israel's non-compliance with the human rights clauses within that trade association agreement. We are campaigning in respect of this issue. We are using every mechanism we have available to us to raise these issues and we will continue to do that. We have called repeatedly for the immediate humanitarian ceasefire and were one of the first EU member states to do so, with unimpeded access of aid into Gaza and also the release of all hostages held by Hamas. We have also intervened in respect of the International Court of Justice case regarding the occupation in the West Bank and the legality of that. The UN has sought an advisory opinion and, as the Deputies will know, the Attorney General spoke recently before the ICJ following a written submission we made in July 2023.

Ireland is pursuing all these issues relating to the occupation and the occupied territories in respect of UN resolutions.

We contest these issues forcefully and robustly at UN level and we raise them in all forums - political, diplomatic and legal. We will continue to do that. We do it, generally speaking, within the law. We operate within the law as a country. Once you start deviating from the law and breaking the law on any given issue, you lose credibility over time in respect of your international commitments.

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