Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 75: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will request the UN General Assembly to reconsider the Goldstone report into Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli military assault on Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, and submit it to the Security Council with a recommendation that these events would be referred to the International Criminal Court. [13750/11]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 76: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will support the UN Human Rights Council report surrounding operation Cast Lead, Israel's military assault on Gaza in December 2008, at EU and UN levels. [13903/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 76 together.

The report of the UN Fact Finding Mission into the Gaza conflict, or the Goldstone Report, was published in September 2009 and was widely welcomed as a serious and authoritative investigation of events during that conflict, and an attempt to bring greater accountability for this conflict. This view has been strongly supported by Ireland at EU and UN levels. Despite some recent debate following the publication of an article by Judge Goldstone, I believe that the report continues to impress as a sober, painstaking and sincere investigation of events which were complex and violent, and in relation to which it was, and remains, very difficult to achieve clarity.

The Human Rights Council, taking into account what the parties have done thus far in terms of domestic investigations and accountability, followed up on these issues in its Resolution of 25 March 2011 which, inter alia , referred the matter to the UN General Assembly for further consideration. In discussions on this Resolution within the EU group in Geneva, Ireland (which is not a member of the HRC) argued for a generally positive view of the text, although there were elements of it which were problematic for some partners.

The UN General Assembly will now consider how to take this matter forward, including any suggestions of involving other bodies in the UN system. Ireland has twice voted in favour of the General Assembly Resolution on this issue. We continue to regard the Fact Finding Mission Report as a serious and unimpugned document which merits serious follow-up. Whether we can again vote in favour of a Resolution on those issues – as I would hope – will of course depend on the precise terms of such a Resolution and our assessment of the sincerity of its proposers. We will not give our support to States or Resolutions which are more interested in making capital out of this issue than in moving it forward.