Sir, – The situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, where the death toll in Gaza could exceed 186,000, a Lancet journal report has found.
The standing ovation given by US Houses of Congress to Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who has been accused of war crimes and possible genocide, demonstrates the extent of the destruction of the rule of international law by the US and other powerful states.
Israel’s assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hizbullah military commander Fuad Shukr in Lebanon, indicates that the Israeli government seeks to widen the conflict rather than find peaceful solutions.
More than 200 aid workers with UNRWA have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7th, 2024.
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UN peacekeeping missions should be predicated on there being a reasonable prospect of a peaceful settlement within a reasonable time frame. Prolonged peacekeeping operations such as UNTSO Middle East (1948), UNFICYP in Cyprus (1964), UNPROFOR Golan Heights (1974) and Unifil Lebanon (1978), have failed to achieve a peaceful solution.
Far too many UN peacekeepers, including 47 Irish soldiers, have been killed while serving with Unifil in Lebanon. This should call into question the continuing presence of Irish soldiers there.
There are other, more effective ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people, and there are other conflicts where good quality UN peacekeepers are more urgently needed.
In the Middle East there is no peace to keep while genocide is being perpetrated with active support from the world’s most powerful country. – Yours, etc,
EDWARD HORGAN,
Former UN peacekeeper,
Castletroy,
Limerick.