An Irish anti-war group has come out in opposition to plans to send a contingent of Irish troops to Lebanon "to police an ambiguous United Nations resolution". Deaglán de Bréadún, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, reports.
The Anti-War Network, a coalition of six different organisations, warns that the troops "might be used to demand the impossible disarmament of Hizbullah and to justify future Israeli military aggression".
If the conflict escalated into a wider war between the US and Israel, on the one hand, and Syria or Iran on the other, then "UN forces, including Irish troops, would find themselves hopelessly embroiled in the conflict".
However, Ireland could play a "valuable role" and the statement urged the Government to take the following steps:
1. Engage in diplomatic initiatives to promote peace between Israel and Lebanon, to urge Israel to withdraw from occupied Palestinian territories and to discourage states including the United States and Iran from engaging in proxy wars in the region.
2. Prohibit the use of Irish territory, including particularly Shannon and Baldonnel airports, for military purposes, including the transport of troops and arms to the Middle East.
3. Discourage and restrict Irish-based companies' production of armaments, including hardware and software systems for export to Israel.
4. Call for Israel to make reparations for the death and destruction that its army has inflicted in Lebanon, and make preparations to prosecute decision-makers for war crimes in the event that they arrive on Irish territory.