Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

We gather for these statements today with warnings ringing in our ears that thousands of children are at risk of death in the coming days. According to UNICEF, more than 15,000 children in Gaza have been killed, more than 34,000 injured and nearly 1 million displaced. Gaza has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world and 17,000 children are unaccompanied or separated from their parents. Beyond this vast physical harm, the psychological trauma inflicted will take generations to heal.

No child will emerge from the horrors of bombardment without the imprint of trauma. We are witnessing enforced starvation afflicting the most vulnerable while humanitarian aid remains blocked by Israeli forces.

Three months ago, four Irish Aid trucks arrived in Jordan just as the Israeli blockade began. Carrying the potential to assist thousands of people, these trucks today remain in a warehouse in Jordan while people starve. They are among 44,000 aid trucks that have been denied entry since March, while there are no functioning public hospitals and thousands upon thousands of people have been displaced.

Faced with the unconscionable plight of the people of Gaza, any words or actions that cannot immediately bring this suffering to an end seem, and are, inadequate. What is happening goes against our very humanity. It goes against the strongly held values of the people of Ireland. It goes against the desire for peace, stability and security. A failure by the international community to respond to this moment is also a rebuke to multilateralism, international law and the universal applicability of human rights, both at home and across the world.

The convictions and values we hold dear have emerged from our own history of conflict and peacebuilding on this island. We also have long-standing engagement in the Middle East region through our diplomatic missions and the presence of peacekeepers in Lebanon. The images we have been witnessing in Gaza for the past 600 days are an affront to these convictions and an absolute indictment of a collective failure to end it. More than 18 months of bombardment has caused total destruction that can be difficult to comprehend, now compounded by the almost 80 days of an Israeli blockade of vital and life-saving humanitarian aid.

A total of 58 hostages still remain in Gaza, whose families are enduring continuing anguish. The Irish people, and most of the world, are asking what it will take for the world to do more and act. This is a moment for clarity. Therefore, let me clearly restate Ireland’s position. We unequivocally condemn the terror attacks by Hamas in Israel on 7 October 2023. We unequivocally condemn the taking of hostages by Hamas and have repeatedly called for their release. We do so again today. Hamas has brought nothing but death and destruction to the people of the region. It offers no positive future. We strongly condemn the continuing Israeli military operations in Gaza and are alarmed at reports that Israel plans to extend further this violence and killing.

We have used every lever at Ireland’s disposal and we will continue to do so, both through building on the progress achieved yesterday with the achievement of majority support for a review of the EU-Israel association agreement and through our own legislation to prohibit imports from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, which we will now bring forward. While I will speak in more detail on these actions later, I can inform the House today that work on this legislation is well progressed within my Department. It is my intention to bring a memorandum to Government on this next week.

We call on Israel to fully lift its blockade and allow for unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza. We must see further sanctions if Israel does not end this military offensive. We call for urgent efforts to ensure an immediate ceasefire. Of course, we call for the release of all remaining hostages.

The situation for Gazans today is worse than it has been at any point. In excess of 52,000 people have been killed. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has described Israel’s actions as “aimed at inflicting on Palestinians conditions of life increasingly incompatible with their continued existence in Gaza as a group.”. A fragile and imperfect ceasefire at the start of the year, which provided a brief glimmer of hope to Israelis and Palestinians alike, has been replaced by the resumption of further Israeli actions that have brought fresh suffering to the people of Gaza. Israel unilaterally imposed a total blockage on all aid and commercial supplies for almost 80 days. That meant no food, medicines, medical devices, clothing or sanitary products. While minimal supplies are now entering Gaza in the past 24 hours, this is a miniscule drop in the ocean. The entire population is facing high levels of food insecurity, with one in five - 500,000 people - facing starvation.

Famine is a spectre no Irish person can endure. Only an immediate end to hostilities and a full, unimpeded resumption of humanitarian aid delivery can prevent a further descent into that grim reality for Gazans. The Israeli security cabinet has decided to take control of the distribution of humanitarian aid through private contractors. The UN has rightly described this as unacceptable and "designed to further control and restrict supplies”. Along with many others, I strongly condemn a system that does not ensure that the entire population gets access to humanitarian aid.

On Monday, with colleagues from 21 countries in the EU, I urgently called again for immediate and unhindered access to humanitarian aid and for the killing to stop. I concur with the words of the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, that Israel’s plan “makes starvation a bargaining chip”. This is another example of Israel's conduct that is clearly at odds with human rights and international law. It is repugnant. It is a further example of war crimes.

Amid this darkness, I pay tribute to the humanitarians who continue to save lives every day and work in unspeakable conditions. The year 2024 was the deadliest on record for humanitarian workers, a surge driven by the war in Gaza, which has killed almost 300 UNRWA staff alone. The attack on 15 Red Crescent ambulance staff starkly illustrated the immense risks these humanitarians run every day in the course of their work.

Ireland has been principled and consistent in our approach to this dire situation. We are using all the tools at our disposal, be they political, legal, diplomatic or humanitarian, in response to this dreadful conflict. Next week will mark one year since Ireland, in tandem with Norway and Spain, recognised the State of Palestine. The decision was about keeping the hope for a peaceful two-state solution alive and about the right of Palestinians to self-determination, self-governance and territorial integrity and sovereignty. It was about believing that the two-state solution is the only way forward for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side. Since then, Ireland has consistently raised our voice in pursuit of the two-state solution. In September 2024, we joined the global alliance for the implementation of the two-state solution during the UN General Assembly high-level week in New York. This is a key diplomatic platform for advancing meaningful progress towards peace in the Middle East and advancing the two-state solution.

Even though established political thinking in Israel is absolutely hostile to this goal, international momentum is building. Ireland is taking a leading role in the work and evolution of the global alliance, including as part of the so-called Madrid group, which is a core group of European, Arab, and Islamic countries particularly concerned by the catastrophic situation in Gaza. The global momentum building around this work is visible in the upcoming high-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which will be co-chaired, as the Taoiseach said, by France and Saudi Arabia at the UN in New York in June. Ireland will play an active role in the conference and we hope it will be a decisive moment for the international community.

Ireland continually seeks to build alliances to address the horror of what is happening on the ground in Gaza. Two weeks ago, I issued a joint statement with my counterparts from Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Spain expressing concern about Israeli plans for further expansion of military actions in Gaza. We outlined our firm rejection of any demographic or territorial change in Gaza and called on Israel to show restraint and co-operate with the UN and other humanitarian organisations in the unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance. On 6 May, the Dutch foreign minister wrote to the UN High Representative, Kaja Kallas, calling for a review of the EU-Israel association agreement in light of Israel’s blockade in Gaza and other developments on the ground.

Ireland has consistently called for a meaningful interpretation of Israel’s human rights obligations under the agreement. We welcome this initiative from the Netherlands. As this House will recall, Ireland and Spain wrote to the President of the European Commission in February 2024 requesting this urgent review. In all my engagements at the Foreign Affairs Council, we have repeatedly called for the EU to take this step. At the time, our proposal did not enjoy the support of all EU partners. The fact there is now a clear majority of support shows a significant shift at European level.

The EU review of the association agreement with Israel is a significant decision. As the Taoiseach rightly said, however, it should now be suspended pending the outcome of that review. This would reflect the grave concern held by citizens in Ireland and across the European Union regarding the ongoing horrific situation and actions of Israel and the blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza. It also demonstrates that a clear majority of member states have now agreed on the need to take concrete actions to pressure Israel to reverse course, halt its military action and lift the block on life-saving aid in Gaza. This is about using the tools set out in the association agreement, in conformity with our values, and conveying clear messages to Israel regarding the EU’s position. This was also the case in February, when Ireland welcomed the convening of the EU-Israel Association Council as an opportunity to deliver that same message.

From the outset, Ireland has been clear that we would not accept a business-as-usual approach to relations between Israel and the EU. In my intervention at that meeting, I underlined that each of the EU’s bilateral relationships must be grounded in respect for international law and our fundamental principles. I expressed grave concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and underlined the EU’s call for full and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and, of course, the release of remaining hostages. We have made clear that we will reject any attempt at demographic or territorial changes in the Gaza Strip and stressed the importance of unifying Gaza with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.

I was also pleased to attend the first ever EU-Palestine high level dialogue in Luxembourg in April. This dialogue provided an opportunity for the first time for the EU to engage at this level with the Palestinian Authority and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, whom I met last February in Munich. At that meeting we took concrete actions to financially support the Palestinian Authority and we commend the progress it is making in what is an extremely challenging environment. Ireland maintains strong channels of communication with the Palestinian Authority, including through our mission in Ramallah and the Palestinian Embassy in Dublin. As well as providing funding to the authority through the EU, Ireland also provides practical support to the Palestinian Authority on the ground, including in institutional capacity-building. Together with a number of other donors, we also support the Palestinian Authority’s ministry for education to strengthen the education system and help to ensure more children can access education.

Ireland welcomed the recent agreement among Arab countries on a joint plan for the reconstruction of Gaza. We must continue to work towards this aim. Ireland has consistently stressed that the governance of Gaza must involve the Palestinian Authority. There can be and will be no role for Hamas, which offers the people of Gaza no future. The Arab-led plan provides that Palestinian ownership must be a guiding principle in reconstruction efforts and that the right of Palestinians to remain on their own land must be upheld. Ireland, the EU and international partners have been clear that there can be no forced displacement of the civilian population in Gaza, nor any occupation of the strip by Israel. However, first we need a ceasefire and a permanent cessation of the hostilities.

While the focus of this debate is on Gaza we cannot lose sight of the situation unfolding in the West Bank, where Israel is conducting its single largest operation in 20 years. At least 40,000 people have been displaced since January. Combined with unprecedented levels of violence and record levels of settlement construction, there is a huge risk of further destabilisation. Ireland is strongly opposed to Israel’s settlement policy and activities, including in and around East Jerusalem. This is a point I raised directly with Israel at the association council. We strongly support the sanctions adopted by the EU against both individuals and entities involved in settler violence and we continue to call for the imposition of further EU sanctions.

What is happening in Gaza and in the West Bank should not be taken in isolation. This is meticulously planned Israeli Government policy. It is illegal. It is unconscionable. It is inhuman. This brings me back to the issue of settlement trade. The Government’s position, and indeed that of the EU, is clear, namely, settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the realisation of the two-state solution. As this House will be aware, the Government carried out an extensive analysis and review of the occupied territories Bill late last year. The Government’s analysis was that substantive amendments would be required to most, if not all, of the Bill’s provisions in order to bring it in line with our Constitution and to reduce the risk of EU infringement procedures. We want a Bill that will withstand the test of legal challenge. We want a Bill that will make impact. The programme for Government sets out a clear commitment to progress legislation in relation to the occupied Palestinian territory and aligned with the July 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion. As I said earlier, we now intend to advance this commitment.

Respect for international law is at the core of Ireland’s foreign policy. Ireland has consistently stated this and consistently called on Israel to comply with international law. International law must apply to all countries. We have stressed the universal applicability of international law, including humanitarian law. This commitment has been backed by focused action at bilateral and multilateral level and in international legal proceedings. In 2023 and 2024, Ireland participated in advisory proceedings at the International Court of Justice concerning the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. The court’s advisory opinion in that case largely confirmed Ireland’s legal analysis, as outlined in our submissions to the court, that Israel’s settlement and related policies in the occupied Palestinian territory amount to illegal annexation. On 6 January, Ireland filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ under the Genocide Convention. A declaration of intervention was also filed in Gambia's case against Myanmar on 20 December 2024. The purpose of both interventions is for Ireland to set out the factors it considers relevant in assessing whether a state is fulfilling its obligations under the Genocide Convention. On 28 February this year Ireland filed a detailed written submission with the ICJ in advisory proceedings concerning the obligations of Israel in relation to the UN and other international organisations, as well as states, in the occupied Palestinian territories. These proceedings arose from a UN General Assembly resolution Ireland co-sponsored in December 2024 following the adoption in October 2024 of legislation by the Israeli Parliament which, in effect, prohibits the presence and activities of UNRWA.

While Ireland’s submissions have been published by the court, and I encourage colleagues to read them, I would like to briefly update the House on the legal arguments made in our detailed written statement, which was prepared by my Department in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General. We argue Israel is legally required, under international humanitarian law and as a member of the United Nations, to co-operate with and facilitate relevant UN agencies and programmes in the provision of essential humanitarian assistance and services to the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied territories, in particular those of UNRWA, as a subsidiary organ of the UN. In addition to this unprecedented level of activity by Ireland at the International Court of Justice, Ireland continues to press for action at EU level in light of the ICJ’s advisory opinion, including at all our interventions at the Foreign Affairs Council and by the Taoiseach at the European Council.

This is just a summary of the practical actions Ireland is taking in response to this most horrific situation, but we must and will do more. Until hunger in Gaza is consigned to memory, until all remaining hostages are back with their families, until hospitals and schools in Gaza are functioning, until the hopes of Palestinian children turn into their realities and until we see two states - Israel and Palestine - coexisting in peace and security, Ireland will double down. We will not rest. We will provide financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority. We will bring forward our own legislation on the occupied Palestinian territories. We will seek a suspension of the association agreement between the EU and Israel. We will work at the International Court of Justice. We will support UNRWA when others turn their back on the organisation. We will do everything we possibly can to let the Palestinian people know that they are seen, that they are heard and that they are not forgotten. We will continue to represent the convictions of the people of this country and the democratic values on which this State was built. We will continue to fight for peace and for an end to the barbaric cruelty being endured by the people of Gaza at the hands of an Israeli Government engaged in war crimes. We will continue to urge the international community to vindicate our collective responsibility to stand up for the supremacy of human rights always.

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