Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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4. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to report on any discussions with his US or Israeli counterparts about the ongoing crisis in the Middle East as a result of Israel's assault on Gaza, in the West Bank, and now in Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40657/24]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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We are signatories of the Genocide Convention; it is Irish law. That requires signatories not just to join legal cases but to take all action in its power to deter, prevent and obstruct the commission of a genocide. What is the Tánaiste doing in that regard? What has he said to the US Government or, for that matter, the Israeli Government, about the plausible commission of a genocide and his demands that it stop committing genocide?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The question originally tabled was to report on my discussions with the US or Israeli counterparts about the ongoing crisis in the Middle East as a result of Israel's assault on Gaza, in the West Bank and now in Lebanon and if I will make a statement on the matter. The crisis in the Middle East remains a key priority for me and the Government across our engagements, including in our discussions with the US and Israel. The scale and extent of the violence is shocking and appalling and I have condemned it repeatedly, as is the suffering of those caught up in this war and conflict. Ireland has been clear and consistent in calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and humanitarian access at scale to Gaza, where the situation remains catastrophic. I am deeply concerned by the ongoing violence in the West Bank and by the surge in violence in recent days in Lebanon, including continuing Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel, Israel's massive aerial bombardments and ground incursions across the Blue Line by the Israeli Defence Forces. I condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel. We need to act urgently to avoid further escalation. I have called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, for all to exercise restraint and for those with influence to use it positively. A wider conflict would be disastrous for all the peoples of the region.

Ongoing US engagement is essential to finding a solution to the current conflict. I have reiterated this in all my engagements with the US and the international community, most recently during high level week at the UN in New York last month. The Taoiseach met President Biden this week in Washington and highlighted Ireland's position during the discussion on the conflict. I met the then Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on 16 November 2023 during my visit to the region. I reiterated Ireland’s condemnation of the terror attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October and underlined the need for the unconditional release of all hostages. I also underlined my concern over the catastrophic situation in Gaza and reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire, an issue on which Ireland demonstrated early and clear leadership at EU and international level. Current Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, engaged with EU foreign ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council in January this year, enabling a further exchange on the situation in Gaza, during which I underlined Ireland’s concern at clear breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza, notably with regard to the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I framed the question about the Genocide Convention because I want to know what the character of the Tánaiste's intervention with the United States or Israel is. We have more or less got it, "Ah, we condemn this, we condemn that." A bit of this, a bit of that. I am trying to reframe this and say we are talking about genocide. We are signatories of the Genocide Convention. The International Court of Justice said there is a plausible genocide taking place. This is not a bit of this and a bit of that. It is not a bit of disproportionality by Israel and a little bit of terrorism, as the Tánaiste wants to present it, by a Palestinian faction.

This is a case of a people who have been oppressed since 1948, who have been subject in Gaza to a siege for 17 years and who are subject to illegal occupation and apartheid. They are being oppressed by Israel, which is now committing genocide. What is the Tánaiste saying about that?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy knows we are preparing a legal opinion to join the South African case at the International Court of Justice. He knows that, we have said that and we have done much work on that. We were proactive in terms of the ICJ case leading to the advisory opinion, at the UN General Assembly in the first instance; at the court itself, where the AG made a submission; and in asking for the implementation of that opinion in a subsequent UN vote.

I have said very clearly the war in Gaza is a collective punishment of the people living in Gaza and has resulted in the murder of innocent civilians: children, men and women. There is no issue about that from my perspective. Equally, I continue to condemn what Hamas did on 7 October. I note the Deputy has never done that. That is a problem for him and his party. I also condemn what Hezbollah did. Never forget the fact that Hezbollah created much hostility for peacekeepers in Lebanon in the past two to three years which resulted in the killing of an Irish peacekeeper. We need complete de-escalation. The nature of modern warfare is horrific and morally wrong. The bombardment of Lebanon and Gaza and further land grabs in the West Bank are all, in my view, shocking and unacceptable and need to stop.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Why did Simon Harris not say yesterday to the United States, "Stop arming a genocide. Stop giving weapons to people to commit genocide." Even now, the Tánaiste will not use the word "genocide". He will not say "They're committing genocide", even though the world is saying it and it is obvious they are committing it.

The Tánaiste is still failing to distinguish between the oppressor and the oppressed. When the Vietnamese fought back against the American occupation, they did some nasty things, but they were the oppressed and had the right to fight the oppressor. When the Algerians fought the occupation of their country, they did some pretty nasty things but the French were the colonisers and oppressors while the Algerians were those fighting back. Who is the oppressor and who is the oppressed in the context of Palestine? The answer is Israel is the oppressor. The Israelis are occupying, committing genocide and perpetrating apartheid, not the Palestinians. Why the Tánaiste keeps creating this equivalence, I do not understand. It misrepresents the nature of this conflict. There would be no Palestinian armed resistance if it were not for the siege of Gaza, apartheid, illegal occupation and ethnic cleansing. It would not exist. Why does the Tánaiste not say that clearly, call out those responsible and, in the case of the United States, those who continue to enable this oppressive, brutal and genocidal regime?

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Israeli war against the Palestinian people is nothing other than genocide. We need to support the South African case. We need that to happen as quickly as possible. Of course we want a ceasefire. How could we not when we have seen at least 42,000 Palestinians slaughtered? We welcome the moves to recognise the Palestinian state by Ireland, Spain and Norway. We need to see movement on the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the occupied territories Bill and the illegal settlements divestment Bill. We need to see engagement with those providing weapons. That is the US, Germany, Britain and others. We need to ensure that in no way do weapons of war travel through here.

Like the Tánaiste and many others, I have been contacted by a huge number of people who are very supportive of their friends and families involved in peacekeeping operations in Lebanon, including in Camp Shamrock and the outlying posts. We all know the issues there have been and the threats from Israel. Will the Tánaiste give an update on that? We need to see justice for Private Seán Rooney, whom the Tánaiste mentioned earlier.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am disturbed by Deputy Boyd Barrett's assertions when he refers to a few "nasty things". Murdering and slaughtering 1,200 people, some at a music concert, is not a little nasty thing. It is an outrage and should be condemned as morally reprehensible. I find it extraordinary what the Deputy has just said in this House. He has essentially said that is just a few nasty things that are justified because of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. So if you attend a music concert-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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That is not what I said.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is the conclusion I am drawing from it.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I know it is, to muddy the waters.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am not. You asked me to stop the equivalence. There is no equivalence from my perspective. International humanitarian law should be observed. I disagree fundamentally and have condemned the Israeli Government's attack on Gaza. We are doing everything we can through the international courts. The Deputy mentioned genocide. There is a convention on genocide. We are either serious about challenging and asserting that in the courts or we are not. I accept the threshold in the courts is very high because of the way the convention was signed, but we are engaging in that. The only way we have credibility in the international world is if we condemn all acts of terror, by states or by terrorist organisations.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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International law distinguishes between the oppressor and the oppressed.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That includes Hamas and Hezbollah. Equally, it includes the State of Israel in terms of, for example, these massive bunker bombs which take out hundreds of people in the name of taking out one commander.

I accept fully the points Deputy Ó Murchú made on our peacekeepers - their safety and security is our priority - and on continuing to pursue justice and get answers from the Lebanese justice system in respect of the killing or Private Seán Rooney, who gallantly protected his fellow soldiers in driving through that DFOM, which was a denial of access to peacekeepers. There was a context to that. He bravely drove his colleagues out of harm's way and, unfortunately, lost his life in endeavouring to protect them. I do not forget that and am conscious of that in terms of the soldiers we now have in Lebanon. My overriding priority is their safety and protection.