Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will call on President Biden to cease providing military aid and support to Israel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27744/24]

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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My question relates to the ongoing slaughter in Gaza. Has the Tánaiste or his Administration had any contact with the American ambassador here or with Joe Biden about the continuing arming of Israel and its absolute genocide in Gaza?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As we approach the tenth month of the conflict in Gaza, the utmost priority remains the need for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.

I welcome the three-phase ceasefire plan outlined by President Biden at the beginning of this month. This has since been endorsed by the UN Security Council in UN Security Council Resolution 2735. The need for the international community, including the European Union, to exert meaningful pressure on all parties to accept and implement the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 2735 was a key focus of my discussions with my EU counterparts earlier this week.

Ireland's engagement with all partners, including the United States, has consistently focused on the obligation of all states to comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. This was a key message conveyed by the Taoiseach to President Biden in March of this year and remains a central focus of our ongoing engagement with the United States.

Consistent with concerns that I have been raising for several months, there is a growing body of reporting and evidence indicating that breaches of international humanitarian law, by both Hamas and Israel, are continuing with impunity. The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. The ICJ has also ordered Israel to open the Rafah crossing to allow for the entry of humanitarian aid.

It is, therefore, incumbent on all of our partners, including the United States, to consider their obligations and responsibilities under international humanitarian law. In my view weaponry should not be sent to Israel until we have an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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International law has gone out the door. In the past ten months, over 45,000 people have been murdered by the Israeli state, including 15,000 children. It is hard to believe. What we see daily on our news screens is almost impossible to comprehend. This is akin to what the Nazis were doing in occupied Europe. Joe Biden was welcomed with open arms in this country, in some ways embarrassingly. His hands are dripping with blood because 70% of all arms that go to the State of Israel come from the United States, 25% comes from Germany and the rest is from elsewhere. The bombs raining down on children have nothing to do with this conflict, are being made in the USA and are killing innocent people. America is called the land of the free and yet it stands for the out-and-out destruction of the people of Palestine. How can this Government make a stand against what is happening in Gaza?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is no doubt that there have been breaches of international humanitarian law and it continues on a systemic basis by Israel and by Hamas. I note the Deputy has not called out Hamas in his comments. I think he should do so because it could also lay down arms right now and contribute very significantly to a ceasefire. It could release the hostages. We need to be equally strong in calling on Hamas to lay down its arms and to release the hostages. It is unconscionable that people going about their daily lives can be captured and taken as hostages in situations like this.

The commission of inquiry report by the UN human rights office - the Volker Türk report - in its presentation to the Human Rights Council confirms what the Deputy and others have said about the violations and reported continued breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights law by all parties. That has likewise been confirmed further by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who published a detailed report on 19 June, which strongly indicates that the Israeli Defense Forces have systematically failed to comply with several fundamental principles of international humanitarian law in its conduct of the hostilities in Gaza since 7 October.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I want to see all hostages released. We all want to see peace and a settlement in the Middle East. The Minister may not agree with this, but those resisting Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank have a right to engage with the Israeli Defense Forces. They have a right because they are being occupied, murdered and slaughtered. It is an incredible statistic, but since 7 October $23 billion worth of American armaments have gone to Israel. It is unbelievable. We have not seen this level of destruction since the Second World War. There are 1,000 pound bombs being dropped in suburban areas. Phosphorous is being used in south Lebanon. These are war crimes against the ordinary people. How can the civilised world, including Ireland, stand and say it can do nothing about this? Of course, we can do something. Has the Minister spoken with his counterpart from the United States? Has he spoken with the US ambassador to say this destruction has to stop and it is not in our name. We want peace and a settlement to this issue.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I have repeatedly condemned the bombardment of Gaza. We in Ireland have taken a number of steps to move towards a political pathway and a ceasefire. We have worked with the Arab partners like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Qatar and others to try to develop a peace process and a proper peace initiative. They have published that. We have engaged with them and also with the European Union to get that advanced and to support the humanitarian side of the equation. Ireland has been quite effective with regard to the UNRWA and support for the Palestinian Authority and Prime Minister Mustafa. We have also worked and engaged with the Americans on that ceasefire and political approach. As the Deputy knows, this is a complex issue that goes back decades. There has been a historic link between the United States and Israel. We may not agree with the unconditional support that flows from the United States to Israel. Likewise, some European Union states have historic connections because of what happened in the Second World War. However, in our view, in the current context people should view this through the prism of international humanitarian law.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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We are way over time.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has been steadfast in supporting the courts and upholding their jurisdiction.