Israeli strikes amount to ‘collective punishment’ of Palestinians, warns Martin

By Cate McCurry, PA

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has strongly condemned the latest Israeli strikes on Gaza, describing them as the “collective punishment” of Palestinians.

He said the “deploring and shocking” bombings have led to the deaths of “so many innocent people”.

The Fianna Fáil leader is in Brussels for an EU summit with his European counterparts.

Asked about the latest strikes which hit multiple homes overnight, killing men, women and children as they slept, he said: “These statements yesterday from Israeli leaders, particularly in of (defence) Minister (Israel) Katz, seemed to me to amount to collective punishment of the Palestinians within Gaza. It’s quite shocking.

“It needs to stop, and Europe needs to say stop to the killing and to the slaughter that’s going on in Gaza at the moment.

“We do also need a release of all hostages, and we need to move very quickly to phase two of the ceasefire which was originally agreed and which should be complied with.

“But what has to happen now, I think, is that as much pressure as possible from the European Union, US and others, is to say to Israel to stop this bombing.

“There was no warning. Many, many people that come back after the ceasefire to their homes in the expectation that they were going to experience some degree of peace and harmony, and that has been shattered by what appears to be very indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian homes and families.”

Mr Martin said while the Government has agreed to progress the Occupied Territories Bill, it will not “impact on the immediate” decisions of the Israeli government.

The Bill, first introduced to the Dáil in 2018, would ban the trade of goods and services with all illegally occupied territories, including illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

The Government had committed to enacting the Bill after the UN’s top court issued an advisory opinion last July that said countries should act to prevent trade or investments which maintain illegal Israeli settlements.

Earlier this year, Mr Martin suggested the Bill would be replaced with fresh legislation and said “a full debate in the Dáil” was needed.

Asked whether the latest attacks on Gaza has renewed pressure on the Government to bring forward its alternative Bill, Mr Martin added: “The Government has agreed to progress it. One way or the other I don’t think it’s going to impact on the immediate decisions of the Israeli government in respect of Gaza. I think that needs to be said.

“One way or the other, the Occupied Territories Bill isn’t going to change that.

“But I think the Minister of Foreign Affairs is progressing it. A lot of the amendments have been worked on by the officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“It obviously won’t be before this session will end, but hopefully in the next session.”