Ongoing contracts to be put under review as violence in Gaza continues
The move makes Ireland the first EU country to cease defence purchases from Israel since the war began. Photographer: Kobi Wolf/BloombergEU foreign affairs chief proposes sanctions on Israel i ministersMr Martin, who is also Minister for Defence, said neither this contract, nor any other, will be awarded to Israel i arms companies.
In a statement on Thursday evening he cited the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory He said the legal consequences of the opinion are still being assessed but in the meantime it is not appropriate that Ireland “should procure military equipment or material from Israel”. Mr Martin said he has “directed officials in the Department of Defence to review defence procurement packages and to ensure that no such further procurement takes place”. Ireland’s only ongoing contract with Israeli arms manufacturers is a €295,000 a year contract with Aeronautics Defence Industries, a military drone manufacturer owned by the Israeli government, for maintenance of drones purchased for the Defence Forces. It is not yet clear if Ireland can legally cancel this contract or what implications that would have for its drone fleet. The Tánaiste’s comments mark a reversal from the position stated by the Department of Defence last week that Israeli companies remained eligible for Irish military contracts as the country is not subject to international sanctions. Ireland must conform with EU procurement rules, the department said. The Government now appears to consider the ICJ’s opinion as providing justification to effectively ban military purchases from Israel, said Tanya Lalor of Method Consults, which carries out research for NGOs and has recently analysed military contracts between Ireland and Israel. Ireland has an obligation under the Geneva Convention and the Genocide Convention to prevent breaches of violations of humanitarian law, including through the use of bilateral relations and trade policy, she said. The Government has also called for the EU-Israel trade agreement to be reviewed due to concerns over Israel’s actions in Gaza. However, not all member states support this. Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, prime minister of Luxembourg Luc Frieden said: “I don’t think that is the appropriate way to proceed. “I think it must be part of a process of talking to both the Israelis and the Palestinians with all the complexities of who is on the Palestinian side to make progress there.”London wants Troubles legacy case changes to be accepted by Dublin and North’s political parties, says ambassador‘She couldn’t have done better’: Leaving Cert student with maximum points misses out on college course due to lotteryColdplay in Croke Park review: Croker loses its collective mind to choruses purpose-built for this kind of night outLATEST STORIESOur politics team’s behind-the-scenes take on events of the day. Every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday when the Dáil sits
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