Opposition parties are pressing the Irish government to take action in relation to Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip launched in response to an attack by Hamas militants.
The Social Democrats are to introduce a motion to the Irish parliament’s lower house on Wednesday that calls for the withdrawal of the diplomatic status of Israeli ambassador Dana Erlich.
The motion also calls for Ireland to make a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate whether war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity have been committed in Gaza.
Sinn Fein has said it will also bring a resolution to the Dail next week calling on the government to make a referral to the ICC.
A month has passed since Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel where thousands of rockets were fired and 1,400 Israeli civilians were killed, including over 200 mostly young adults at a music festival.
Around 200 hostages are thought to have been taken to Gaza, including eight-year-old Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand.
Israel responded with missile attacks, a blockade and an invasion of the enclave as part of an operation to destroy Hamas.
An estimated 11,000 people have been killed and aid agencies have warned that low supplies of food, water and medicine are creating a severe humanitarian crisis.
The wording of the Social Democrat motion calls on the Dail to “expresses its deep revulsion at the continuing collective punishment being meted out to civilians in Gaza by the Israeli government”, and asks it to condemn “the barbaric attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 in which 1,400 people were killed and at least 243 people were kidnapped”.
It also calls on the Irish Government to “intensify” its push for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said the international community’s response to “the litany of war crimes and flagrant breaches” of international law by Israel has been “shameful”.
“Given Israel’s failure to cease the deliberate targeting of civilians, journalists, UN staff and healthcare workers, the Government must withdraw the diplomatic status of the Israeli ambassador to Ireland,” she said.
Ms Cairns added that “as a matter of urgency” the Government should enact the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 and the illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023.
The party’s motion also calls for economic sanctions, for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and the suspension of Israel’s access to the 95 billion euro Horizon Europe fund.
Sinn Fein spokesperson on foreign affairs Matt Carthy said on Friday there “must be consequences” for Israel after his party announced last week that the Israeli ambassador’s position is “now untenable”.
Mr Carthy said the first action needed was a ceasefire, followed by the release of all hostages, and for a renewed commitment to international law.
“Ireland should also exercise our right as a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to refer the actions in Palestine and Israel to the prosecutor of the court for the purpose of requesting an investigation into any acts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide that have occurred in Gaza over the past month,” he said.
“Sinn Fein will bring a resolution to the Dail next week mandating the Irish government to make such a referral.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as “something more approaching revenge” than self-defence, but has said suspending the diplomatic credentials of the Israeli ambassador would hinder Ireland’s attempts to secure Emily Hand’s release and the safe passage of some 35 Irish citizens from Gaza.
In a statement to the PA news agency, the Israeli embassy in Dublin said that Israel “values its democratic bilateral relationship with Ireland”.
It said that Palestinians “are not Israel’s enemies” and the war was initiated by Hamas through its “barbaric and gruesome” attacks on civilians last month.
“We hope that in light of their concern for Palestinians, a clear condemnation is made against Hamas for their ongoing abuse of their own civilian population.
“We hope too that the issue of the Hamas network of terror tunnels is addressed in conjunction with the fact that Hamas withholds basic necessities from the Gazan population and uses them as human shields for the sake of its war with Israel.
“Israel has a right and obligation to defend its citizens against Hamas which remains well armed with rockets and other weapons,” it said.
