Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin talks to the media prior to an EU Foreign affairs Ministers meeting, in the Europa, the EU Council headquarter on February 19, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium [Thierry Monasse/Getty Images]
STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT- Irish Foreign Minister, Michael Martin, emphasised in his article, published in The Times yesterday, that Israel’s ongoing war against the Gaza Strip constitutes clear breaches of international law.
He wrote: “What we are seeing in Gaza now amounts to blatant violations of international law.”
Martin underscored the urgency to halt the violence in Gaza, insisting that Ireland is calling for an immediate ceasefire and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.
The inhabitants of Gaza, he explained, particularly in the Gaza and northern governorates, face the imminent threat of famine due to severe shortages of essential supplies such as food, water, medicine and fuel.
He added: “We have rapidly scaled up aid for the people of Gaza and stood firmly behind the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, in the face of Israeli obstruction and attacks on its credibility. We have demanded accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and are supporting the ongoing International Criminal Court investigation.”
My piece in today’s Sunday Times on Gaza.https://t.co/UClOZBrjd7 pic.twitter.com/b5FI9cJ6pf
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) April 7, 2024
Martin announced last month that the country would intervene in the case initiated by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention at the ICJ. The decision followed an analysis of the legal and policy issues arising in the case, and consultation with partners, including South Africa.
While the specifics of the legal grounds for Ireland’s intervention remain undisclosed, Martin asserted that his legal team had provided a basis for the action during a briefing last month. Israel has laid waste to most of the enclave, displacing millions and leaving them facing starvation due to a crippling blockade on aid and essentials.
“The situation could not be more stark; half the population of Gaza face imminent famine and 100 per cent of the population face acute food insecurity. Ireland will be intervening,” he said.
As of Sunday, the death toll from Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip has reached more than 33,200 Palestinians and 75,886 wounded, in addition to the displacement of about 85 per cent of the population of the Strip, according to Palestinian and international organisations.
