Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs - Foreign Affairs Matters - 18th July 2006

Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs – Tuesday the 18th July 2006
Senator Norris: I contacted the Chairman's office yesterday to request an urgent discussion on the developing situation in Lebanon and Palestine. I understand such a discussion may take place today as the Minister will address some of these issues. It is important that this committee has its say on what is a disastrous and unnecessary situation.

Senator Norris: I completely endorse what Deputy Carey said and very much

hope this meeting will unanimously endorse such a call for an immediate

cessation of violence. If the Deputy wishes to put such a proposal to members, I

will be pleased and honoured to second it. I congratulate our officials for

organising a speedy, safe and successful rescue of Irish citizens in the region. It

is notable that so many countries sent battleships, aircraft carriers and so on to

rescue their own civilians without giving a damn for the welfare of Lebanese

civilians.
Israel has certain moral and legal responsibilities that attach to its status as a state. Hezbollah, on the other hand, has no such status. It is not acceptable, therefore, to impose a collective punishment on an entire nation for the actions of that organisation. Israel is not going after Hezbollah but is bombing electricity generating stations, sewerage plants, oil depots, bridges and other infrastructure. This has absolutely nothing to do with Hezbollah.
I welcome the slight hardening of the Minister's position on Israel that is detectable in his speech. I am not anti-Israeli but I am against criminality and aggression. This situation is linked with that in Gaza where, in temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, there is no electricity for most of the day, sewerage and water services are disrupted and there is no effective health service. Can the Minister imagine what it is like to live in such conditions? Something akin to an open air concentration camp is being created. It is a moral reproach to us all that we sat on out hands and did absolutely nothing.
Israel has a right to peace and security; it is a right to which we are all are entitled. However, the Minister described it as an "absolute right" on the part of the Israeli state without referring to any concomitant right for innocent Lebanese civilians. The first reference to civilian casualties in his speech is to "innocent Israeli citizens". I deplore this loss of life and I am familiar with the particular railway station in Haifa. My heart is with those people who were so unexpectedly and brutally slaughtered. The ratio of casualties is 10:1.
It seems the European Union, with Ireland's assent, accepts the principle that Israel has the right to hammer the infrastructure of Lebanon in this manner. Does the Minister understand the irrefutable logic of the principle to which he seems to have consented? Does he accept it would have given the British Government the right, during the period when the IRA-Sinn Féin were bombing Canary Wharf, Brighton and Birmingham on our behalf, to bomb Dublin, Dundalk and Drogheda and take out our sewerage, electricity and water supplies? That is the parallel if we accept this principle, or are the Palestinians and Lebanese a sub-race? Increasingly, this seems to be the view.
The focus of the European Union's approach is all wrong. There was no protest when a large section of the Palestinian Parliament was arrested. I notice that what would otherwise be described as kidnapping is deemed an "arrest" when undertaken by the Israelis. We must have some straight talking in the use of language also. We have lost moral authority by not being even-handed. I welcome the very slight hardening of the Minister's attitude, not against Israel but in favour of international law. This is the crux of the issue. The Bush regime has deliberately set out to undermine respect for international law and its institutions. It provides a moral umbrella under which the Israeli Government and other allies can behave in this way.

It is not acceptable and we need to make it absolutely clear that it is not acceptable. If Deputy Carey wishes to put forward his proposal as a concrete proposal to this committee, I will second it and I believe it will be unanimously agreed. I have great sympathy for the family of Corporal Gilad Shalit and the other two Israeli soldiers who have been kidnapped. Parallels have been made with kidnappings by the Israelis. It is an awful situation. One feels for the human tragedy of all those involved but it is time that we stood up for some international principle.
I again ask the Minister to accept and understand that if we are prepared to tolerate this type of action by the state of Israel against the civilian population of Lebanon and Palestine, the British Government could justifiably have bombed Dublin, Dundalk and Drogheda in defence of its absolute right to peace and security if the heart of London was bombed. I doubt if the Minister would have been so timid in his response had this happened.

Chairman: Time is tight because there are a number of other speakers.
Senator Norris: There are two questions. I accept that belatedly there was a reference to the parliamentarians but it horrified me-----

Deputy D. Ahern: Not belatedly. To be fair-----

Senator Norris: It was fairly belatedly and there was very little-----

Deputy D. Ahern: That is not the case. It has been the constant view of the EU that the arrest of members of the Palestinian Authority was not correct and that they should be released immediately.

Senator Norris: It is a lot more than "not correct". I wish to move on from that-----

Deputy D. Ahern: On the issue of the wall and the settlements, which issues were raised previously, Ireland has constantly been active at EU level. The Senator said I do not make statements on these issues but I am sick of doing so in response to parliamentary questions.

Senator Norris: The Minister referred to the Council's statement on developments in the Lebanon and Israel. In light of what he said on how tough circumstances are, is he as surprised as I am that the only reference to restraint in the first three paragraphs is a call on Israel not to hinder shipping in international waters? There is no reference to the civilian casualties, except those on the Israeli side. That is pretty lame.

Deputy D. Ahern: What about the first paragraph of the statement?

Senator Norris: In paragraph 4, there is a general statement condemning attacks-----

Deputy D. Ahern: Paragraph 1 states the Council is-----

Senator Norris: -----by Hezbollah and the abduction of two Israeli soldiers. The statement calls for the Lebanese state to restore its sovereignty, contends that continued escalation of the conflict would only aggravate the vicious circle of violence and calls on Israel not to hinder shipping in international waters.

Deputy D. Ahern: I am reading the first page of the statement and note that the Council is acutely concerned about the conflict in the Middle East, particularly the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. It deplores the loss of civilian life on all sides. Paragraph 5 refers to the deteriorating circumstances involving Israel and Palestine and states the Council deplores the loss of civilian life the conflict has brought in this regard. These are words but what is required is action.

Senator Norris: Absolutely.
A radio broadcast today suggested an Israeli Cabinet Minister had indicated some form of bargain or deal in terms of the mutual release of prisoners was necessary. The Cabinet Minister was unnamed and I wonder if the report is substantial. It seems that until there is some degree of bargaining, in which the Israelis have always engaged in the past, we will be unlikely to reach a solution.

Deputy D. Ahern: I understand there were reports on possible talk of a deal. I suggested strongly yesterday that attention should be paid to how some movement could be made in regard to the captured Israeli soldiers. There may well be some discussions behind the scenes. I cannot say any more than that but believe it is important to note that the that catalyst that brought the conflict to a head was the capture of the Israeli soldiers. I am not in any way condoning the response of Israel or the strength of that response. If the soldiers were to be released, it would de-escalate the conflict and allow proper dialogue to take place on other issues.