“President Michael D Higgins has expressed his eagerness for an end to this historical nightmare” following the Israeli parliament’s ratification of laws that could potentially interfere with the primary UN department’s aid efforts in Gaza.
Higgins urged all member nations of the UN and EU to assert their backing for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unwra), stressing his demand for a ceasefire and the release of captives. The Israeli moves to disconnect have exacerbated profound fears within the Irish Government regarding the impact on the already restricted aid supply to Gaza’s Palestinian populace.
“In northern Gaza, around 100,000 people, comprising mainly women and children, find themselves trapped with no secure haven. Two out of their three hospitals have been obliterated, and one is under a state of siege,” President Higgins stated.
He expressed his sadness regarding elderly individuals being forced out of their hospital cots, and commended the remarkable courage of medical personnel who’ve stuck by the side of the most at-risk individuals, despite risks to their own lives and potential detention.
He commented that silence from those who held high hopes for the EU’s future during a severe humanitarian disaster would not just be disappointing, but detrimental to the Union itself.
“The act of attacking the United Nations organisation that is tasked with preserving their lives during a scenario where individuals are dying of starvation, represents a horrifying failure of diplomacy and the deployment of starvation as a warfare tactic,” he stated.
According to Higgins, the moment has arrived to put an end to this historical nightmare. “Israel and Palestine will eventually need to coexist side by side.”
Together with Spain, Norway and Slovenia, Ireland has announced a combined statement denouncing the Israeli parliamentary vote which stands to outlaw Unwra’s operations in territories under Israeli jurisdiction. The Knesset has also passed a vote to sever official relations with Israel and the agency.
These decisions occur in the wake of accusations made by Israel that Unwra has established deep ties with Hamas; a claim the agency vehemently denies.
On Tuesday, Taoiseach Simon Harris emphasised that Europe must dig deep and muster the “moral bravery” to address this pressing issue. “An increase in deaths, in child starvation, is inevitable if Unwra is not sustained,” he declared. He pointed out that these sentiments were not his alone but echoes from the UN secretary-general and the American president via his State Department. Harris insisted that the exigency for Unwra could not be understated, and described the recent developments in the Knesset as outrightly distressing. He expressed his plan to discuss with Antonio Costa, the upcoming president of the European Council, the urgency for Europe to act on this matter from a place of moral courage.
The chief executive officer of Ireland’s charity organisation, Trocaire, Caoimhe de Barra, expressed extreme disapproval of the decision made by the Israeli parliament. She termed the prohibition of Unwra as a stark transgression of humanitarian law; an intentional act causing more harm and deprivation to an already suffering civilian population amidst war. De Barra appealed that all states should apply considerable pressure on Israel to renounce this decision immediately.