Micheál Martin, the Tánaiste, fervently dismissed claims from the Opposition that he was gradually eroding Irish neutrality and not criticising Israel’s behaviour in Gaza, as reported in a document he delivered to the Dáil concerning Irish Defence Forces’ involvement in UN operations.
In a heated argument, he demanded of the left-wing TDs “what world do you live in?”, showing his exasperation and criticising Independent TD Catherine Connolly for insinuating Ireland was complicit in genocide.
Martin urged her to acknowledge, for goodness sake, that Ireland’s foreign policy independence has been demonstrated by its stance on the Middle East and Gaza.
While presenting a document on the involvement of the Irish Defence Forces in United Nations assignments in 2023, he also sought the Dáil’s agreement for their engagement in two EU Pesco (Permanent Structured Co-operation) projects and two initiatives of the European Defence Agency.
Martin became particularly agitated after Connolly alleged that “gradually, you are eroding our neutrality”. She professed that the Government “suddenly needs to dismantle the triple lock”, which necessitates the approval of UN, Dáil, and Government for participating in peace-keeping missions.
“You have always only criticised Russia up until recently,” she pointed out, arguing that “there has never been a condemnation of the American use of the veto” at the UN Security Council against calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“There was no critique of Israel in the report, although Hamas was mentioned”, she added. She also accused Ireland of endorsing “genocide through Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, through your MEPs, who asserted before the election that they would not back her continuous tenure.”
The triple lock was a central part of Fianna Fáil’s 2020 manifesto, Connolly noted.
Contrarily, Martin firmly maintained that he had “criticised Israel’s bombing of Gaza, but for the left, it’s never good enough”.
“Ireland has demonstrated its foreign policy independence through its position on the Middle East and Gaza. Please, just acknowledge it,” he vehemently retorted.
“Ireland, along with Spain and Norway, acknowledged the state of Palestine, but you failed to mention that. You’ve attempted to insinuate that Ireland took part in genocide”.
“Why do you utter such things? The sanctimonious attitude of the country’s far-left is indeed exasperating!”
He expressed his annoyance at left-oriented TDs’ refusal to discuss pending proposals in the House. One such proposition entailed the participation of Defence Forces in an energy management course, priced at €1,500.
“Is participating in such a course suddenly going to compromise Irish political neutrality? Could you, in the name of all that’s sensible, get your act together?”
Mr Martin appealed for the green light on four Defence Forces initiatives, one of which focused on how undersea infrastructure and cable protection can contribute to job preservation in the country. He heatedly asked, “What universe are you occupying? What blasted universe are you living in?”
The debate’s voting was not concentrated on the triple lock, but whether we should engage in cyber work exercises under Pesco, which he strongly believed we should. His admonition stemmed from the recent cyber assault on HSE, “Our focus needs to be on fortifying our resilience,” he stated. “These suggestions before us are by no means extravagant.”