From the piece by David McWilliams, titled “I don’t think sanctions on Israel are imminent, but things can change quickly in times of war”, the prospect of the European Union implementing economic sanctions against Israel at some stage is flagged up.
There is no question that Israel has the prerogative to protect itself from either terrorist attacks or antagonistic actions from a potentially hostile country such as Iran. However, Israel is not authorised to randomly kill unarmed civilians in the thousands, as has been the case in both Gaza and now Lebanon, aim at United Nations’ peacekeepers hoping they will retreat and abandon the people of South Lebanon to their destiny, break international law with absolute disregard, and face no repercussions. This behavior is being enabled by a flimsy US government.
Ireland and its European allies need to seriously contemplate applying economic sanctions as a tool to pressurize a government that blatantly disregards the value of human life and international law. There ought to be repercussions for such actions.
In response to Caoilte Breatnach’s letter (October 14th), a crucial point appears to be overlooked.
If the supply of weapons to Israel is halted, will it result in peace, the freeing of hostages, and a ceasefire by terrorist groups backed by Iran? Will the situation be ameliorated by disarming a democracy and not their terrorist foes?
The UN lacks authority over identified terrorist groups and does not possess the ability to prevent the accumulation of weapons. If recent data is accurate and UN-monitored locations in Lebanon are filled with rocket launchers targeting Israel, it raises questions about our purpose there.