Clear differences emerge between Government and Opposition on events in Israel and Gaza
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the EU must seek to avoid escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and also work to alleviate the plight of Gazans caught in the middle. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
The leaders discussed the situation in Gaza, and agreed that Israel had the right to defend itself, but this right must be exercised in line with international humanitarian law. “Israel’s actions are not defensive,” Ms McDonald said. “They are an offensive attack against a beleaguered and impoverished civilian population. It is the horrible crescendo of occupation, annexation and apartheid. This is not defence. These are crimes against human rights perpetrated in full view of the world.”
Both Ms McDonald and the Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns told the Dáil that Ms von der Leyen “does not speak for Ireland”, repeating the words used by Mr Higgins. “One of the biggest differences between, let us say, our own progress in relation to Northern Ireland and Palestine is there had been no continuous effort of a diplomatic kind in relation to Israel-Palestine,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “People have flashed in and flashed out. There is usually an American interest in the first two years of an American presidency.”
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