FOREIGN AFFAIRS:THE CONFLICT in Gaza was "a profound tragedy", Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin told the ardfheis at the weekend.
In a strong statement of Government policy, he said Ireland had taken a very clear and consistent position throughout the crisis.
Mr Martin said the Government believed the Israeli attack was disproportionate and absolutely unacceptable, but he also condemned the Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel.
“It’s very clear to me that very serious offences and almost certainly violations of international humanitarian law were committed by both sides,” the Minister said.
The rocket attacks by Palestinians were “indiscriminate and clearly violated international humanitarian law”. But the evidence that Israel had used white phosphorous among other weapons was also “extremely strong”.
The Minister said he had spoken to John Ging, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, who was in no doubt about the use of white phosphorous. “The use of such weaponry in a densely-populated area such as Gaza is completely unacceptable and does represent in my view a violation of international humanitarian law and raises serious questions regarding the conduct of its military campaign in Gaza which the Israeli government will have to address,” Mr Martin said.
The Minister also expressed concern about human rights in Tibet and Burma.
On the Lisbon Treaty, Mr Martin said the next referendum would be a decision of similar historic importance to Ireland’s original entry to the then-European Economic Community in 1973. He said concerns such as Ireland’s membership of the European Commission, neutrality and taxation were being addressed.
On US-Ireland relations, he said the Government was working on developing a new, more long-term agreement on work visas which would be a reciprocal arrangement.
The ardfheis passed motions supporting the Lisbon Treaty, condemning Israel’s “totally disproportionate” actions in the Gaza Strip and calling for the immediate release of the Burmese democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
