Ireland’s deputy prime minister is also the foreign minister.
- Republic of Ireland’s foreign secretary described Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip as ‘disproportionate’
- Michael Martin spoke at the opening of Fianna Fail’s annual conference on Saturday.
- Party leaders said violence in the area was unjustified and reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire
- But he stopped short of calling for the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador to Ireland, adding that this was a “populist” view.
The Republic of Ireland’s foreign secretary said Israel’s attack on Gaza was “disproportionate” and “unnecessary”.
Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) Michael Martin spoke at the opening of the party’s annual conference on Saturday.
Mr Martin said the ongoing attacks in the region were unwarranted and agreed with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who called the attacks “bordering on revenge”.
“Obviously there was a lot of anger within Israel, but that does not, in my opinion, justify the scale of the bombing of Gaza,” Martin said.
“I think what Israel is doing is disproportionate and unnecessary.
“Therefore, I consider this to be a violation of the fundamental principle of international humanitarian law, that the concepts and principles of necessity and proportionality are important.”
Martin added that “too many children are losing their lives, too many innocent civilians are losing their lives,” adding that Israel’s pursuit of Hamas is “a ruthless He added that it is being done in a “method”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday there will be no ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip until all Israeli hostages are freed as civilian casualties continue to rise.
The Tánaiste reiterated the Irish government’s call for an immediate end to the violence to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza, including vital medical supplies.
Martin said the International Criminal Court will ultimately decide whether actions taken by Israel are considered war crimes.
No expulsion of Israeli ambassador
He also rejected any claims that Ireland could expel the Israeli ambassador.
Martin said the move was populist.
“Fundamental to international diplomacy is the very basic need to maintain connections and communication channels with other countries,” he said.
“Having diplomatic relations does not mean supporting the policies of a particular country, but maintaining diplomatic channels is an important part of implementing foreign policy, especially in situations of conflict or conflict regarding large-scale wars. That’s the side.”
Ross Atkins calls for ceasefire in Gaza
Mr Martin said the Irish government was working to evacuate 30 to 40 Irish nationals from Gaza, as well as dependents.
“I cannot logically see how we can meaningfully try to get people out of Gaza,” he added.
“If we expel this Israeli ambassador…that would immediately mean the suspension of the Irish ambassador, who works in Israel and is currently in contact with all Irish people in the Gaza Strip.
“I think this is a populist policy and not a serious move in foreign policy.”
Martin said there are a variety of opinions within the European Union, but it would be very difficult to reach unanimity on sanctions against Israel.
