Population can’t be collateral damage in Israel-Gaza conflict: Irish Deputy PM

Dublin: The innocent population of Palestinians cannot be collateral damage as Israel pursues its right to go after Hamas, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister has warned even as he admitted “different strands of opinion” within the European Union (EU) on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

In an interaction on the sidelines of the Global Ireland Summit in Dublin on Tuesday, Micheal Martin told reporters that Europe is united in condemning Hamas but any Israeli response has to be within the parameters of humanitarian law.

Martin, also Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence who has just returned to the Irish capital after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, called for an immediate pause in hostilities to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the region.

“I unreservedly condemn the attack by Hamas on Israel. Israel absolutely has the right to self-defence; to defend itself and its people in response to this heinous attack by Hamas,” said Martin.

“The issue is how, what methodology to use and proportionality; the population can’t be collateral damage to the degree that it is now with the death of Gazan civilians – men, women and children, possibly doctors, nurses and medical staff working in hospitals,” he said.

The minister noted that Hamas uses civilians as "human shields" and has protectors and supporters in the region, which makes matters more problematic.

“There's a wider chess board, unfortunately, politically and geopolitically that we can't ignore. Ireland’s focus is on getting aid in now,” he said, stressing the urgent need to allow access to fuel that Gazans need for the desalination plants and pumps to function to meet their desperate need for “water, water, water”.

The Tanaiste, as the Deputy Prime Minister is known in Ireland, swapped roles with the country’s Indian-origin Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar as part of their coalition arrangement at the end of last year.

In his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Martin is focussed on deploying the country’s Global Ireland strategy and renewed the country’s commitment to the Asia Pacific region within that strand at the summit this week. India is a key aspect of the renewed Asia Pacific strategy, building on a new Consulate General in Mumbai as part of efforts to expand Ireland’s footprint in the region.

“We're good friends with India and continue to work to enhance the multilateral order in terms of border disputes,” said Martin.

“We are very strongly supportive of Ukraine. We believe Russia has fundamentally violated the UN charter and we will encourage other countries to take a strong stance. And we understand there are historic links between India and Russia, but nonetheless, as a small country we depend on the multilateral rules being adhered to and the breach by Russia is a fundamental violation of the charter,” he said.

Ireland's strategy for the region is intended to align with the wider EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, working alongside other EU member countries in areas such as climate action and security issues.

“The countries of the Asia Pacific region represent half of the world’s population and are at the forefront of innovation and design, driving two thirds of economic growth. The region includes important global actors, whose role and input are essential to addressing global challenges such as climate change, and to ensuring peace and security,” said the Irish Deputy Prime Minister.

With the Asia Pacific Strategy in view, Martin is scheduled for a visit to China in early November – a country he describes as an "important partner" with which Ireland will engage with a “clear-eyed view”, not hesitating to raise issues of divergence.

“Our policy is aligned with that of our EU partners and has recently been framed as ‘de-risking’. I want to be clear that this doesn’t mean turning our back on an economic, diplomatic and cultural relationship with China,” he added.

Meanwhile, a proposed visit to India in January 2024 has been shelved due to a lack of mutually agreed dates at this stage.