Martin condemned what he described as the armament by Israel of the basic necessities of life, referring to the restriction of the country to food and the help of entry into the band for almost two months. He told the conversation in Europe that this raises very important questions for the European Union and the laws on human rights which are at the heart of the existence of the block.
“In my opinion, this constitutes a war crime,” said Irish Prime Minister, who belongs to the Fianna Fáil party. “And I'm not saying so easily.”
He argued that he was in favor of a resolution and wanted the release of the hostages, declaring that it was “shocking to take people as hostages”. In November 2023, Martin visited a Kibbutz where around 10% of the population was attacked during the October 7 attack by Hamas.
“I went to see, in the first hand, the impact of the horrible attack of Hamas against Israel. I condemned him from the start when I went there to show empathy to the people who were attacked,” he said, adding that the hostages should have been released for a long time.
However, he said that the war led in response to the response “lost all moral compass in terms of its unacceptable impact on the civilian population and on children”.
“And in Ireland, there is now this sadness and horror and a feeling of helplessness to what we see on our television screens: young children in Civraines and hospitals, very seriously injured. Many families are destroyed, children being orphans. From a point of view of humanity, it is beyond understanding.”
Taoiseach denounced what he called Israel's “doubly” in terms of war intensification on the ground. “I know that Israel would say, well, Hamas is in hospitals and so on. But children need basic access to medicine, “he said.
'Hell on earth'
Martin met Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday in Brussels, discussing questions ranging from the trade and support of Ukraine in the Middle East. During this meeting, Taoiseach shared its concerns about the current humanitarian crisis.
“I think the president clearly heard my perspective on this subject. And I think she understands where I come from and where the others come from,” said Martin.
“I foresee that there will be a lot of reflection through Europe on this issue.” Although he welcomes the announcement by the European Union of the recent set of financial support of 1.6 billion euros for the Palestinians, Martin noted that, as regards an answer, he does not think that there is a consensus within the European Union.
“I recognize and understand the various history of the Member States and the historical history that informed the approach of the Member States in the Middle East,” he said.
“But there is an unacceptable level of death, destruction and displacement (in Gaza). And it is, said, many people, going back to 2011, it is hell on earth.”
He argued that the EU was quick to communicate its concerns to other countries in the world when they violate territorial integrity, adding that this is fundamental to the European Union and what it represents.
Israel has argued in the past that the restriction of aid is legal and that Gaza still has enough available provisions.
The Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, announced the closure of the Embassy of Israel in Dublin in December of last year because of what he described as the “extreme anti-Israeli policy of the Irish government” which he described as “anti-Semitism”.
ADVERTISEMENTLast month, Fine Gael – in a coalition with the Fianna Fáil de Martin – confirmed its delegates to the Congress of the European People's Party of the People's Party of Valence refused to put their names to a motion condemning the attacks of October 7, 2023 of Hamas in Israel and calling for the release of the remaining hosts and defended the position of the party. The delegation of Fine Gael said that she could not support the motion because it did not mention “the current suffering of the inhabitants of Gaza”, as indicated.
Euronews contacted the Israeli Embassy in Brussels and the mission of Israel to the EU and NATO for an answer.
