Politics

Israel ‘must be held accountable for bombing civilians’, says Tánaiste as Irish aid to Lebanon rises to €10m

Micheál Martin condemns ‘death, destruction and displacement’ in Lebanon and Gaza as he attends aid conference in Paris

Tánaiste Micheál Martin with peacekeepers in Lebanon during a visit in 2022. He said in Paris there needed to be a renewed focus on reaching a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Photograph: Government Information Service
Tánaiste Micheál Martin with peacekeepers in Lebanon during a visit in 2022. He said in Paris there needed to be a renewed focus on reaching a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Photograph: Government Information Service
Sharon Gaffney in Paris
Thu Oct 24 2024 - 15:57

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has announced that Ireland is to provide an additional €5 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, bringing the State’s total contribution to €10 million this year.

Speaking at a conference in Paris aimed at raising aid for Beirut, Mr Martin reiterated Irish demands for an “immediate ceasefire and de-escalation across the region”, describing the “scale of the death, destruction and displacement” in Lebanon and Gaza as “completely unacceptable”.

He accused Israel and militant groups Hizbullah and Hamas, of “systematically undermining international humanitarian law”, and said Israel “must be held accountable for bombing civilian populations”.

“I took the opportunity to call out what’s happening,” he said. “We heard from international organisations about the destruction of healthcare facilities, of schools. Well over a million people have been displaced (in Lebanon), people who were already in a destitute condition having fled from Syria. They are now fleeing back into Syria.”

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He said there needed to be a renewed focus on reaching a diplomatic solution to the conflict, and that delegates had emphasised the need to strengthen the Lebanese military and the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL. He added that Ireland had supported such a move when it was a member of the UN Security Council.

The Tánaiste said he had also drawn attention to northern Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced in recent weeks as Israeli troops intensify their offensive on the Jabalia refugee camp. Mr Martin said he was calling for Israel to allow an international delegation to access the area in order to assess the situation, which he described as “catastrophic”.

The Tánaiste said he believed that the Occupied Territories Bill, which proposes banning trade between Ireland and illegal Israeli settlements, would make progress through the Dáil before the general election. But he said that “substantive” amendments would be necessary to ensure that the legislation would be robust enough to withstand legal challenge and comply with the Constitution.

The conference in Paris – attended by 70 government delegations and 15 international organisations – is aiming to raise at least €500 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon and to increase pressure for a wider ceasefire. But with the US focused on its own efforts diplomats say they expect little concrete progress to be made.

Lebanon’s acting prime minister, Najib Mikati, told delegates that international support would be needed. “The storm we are currently witnessing is unlike any other because it carries the seeds of total destruction, not only for our country, but for all human values.”

Hosting the conference, president Emmanuel Macron pledged to provide €100 million in fresh funding to Lebanon. He said that “massive aid” was needed to support the country.