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Ireland: World pressure must be increased on Israel, says Ireland
02-06-2010
London, (IRNA): Ireland is leading calls in Europe to increase international pressure on Israel to end its three-year siege of Gaza following its brutal killing of civilians and detention of vessels carrying humanitarian aid.
“I intend to actively pursue the need for the EU to do more to oblige Israel to lift the blockade and end the deplorable treatment of the one-and-a-half million people living in Gaza,” Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin said Wednesday.
“Respect for international law has been completely disregarded and undermined and the international community needs to leave Israel in no doubt about what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour by any government or state,” Martin said.
“What I find particularly disturbing is that the Israeli government has again chosen to regard its security concerns as overriding all other considerations, to the extent of allowing its military to violently board a civilian ship on a humanitarian mission,” he said.
The Irish foreign minister has already summoned the Israeli Ambassador to Dublin Zion Evrony and criticised the way Israel was attempting to deport the Irish nationals, who he said were “kidnapped” onboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
In an article for the Irish Independent newspaper, he also said he made clear that Israel's initial refusal to facilitate full consular access to those detained was “unacceptable and in breach of the Vienna Conventions.”
Ireland is also urging the Israeli regime to “ensure that safe passage is granted to the Irish-owned vessel, the MV Rachel Corrie, which has a number of Irish citizens aboard and is currently sailing towards Gaza,” Martin said.
The Irish-registered vessel, named after the US activist killed by Israeli security forces in Gaza in 2003, has so far escaped being impounded and is reported to be still intent on delivering aid to Gaza despite the deadly storming of the flotilla.
Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, co-founder of Northern Ireland's Peace People, is believed to be among the passengers on the MV Rachel Corrie.
02-06-2010
London, (IRNA): Ireland is leading calls in Europe to increase international pressure on Israel to end its three-year siege of Gaza following its brutal killing of civilians and detention of vessels carrying humanitarian aid.
“I intend to actively pursue the need for the EU to do more to oblige Israel to lift the blockade and end the deplorable treatment of the one-and-a-half million people living in Gaza,” Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin said Wednesday.
“Respect for international law has been completely disregarded and undermined and the international community needs to leave Israel in no doubt about what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour by any government or state,” Martin said.
“What I find particularly disturbing is that the Israeli government has again chosen to regard its security concerns as overriding all other considerations, to the extent of allowing its military to violently board a civilian ship on a humanitarian mission,” he said.
The Irish foreign minister has already summoned the Israeli Ambassador to Dublin Zion Evrony and criticised the way Israel was attempting to deport the Irish nationals, who he said were “kidnapped” onboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.
In an article for the Irish Independent newspaper, he also said he made clear that Israel's initial refusal to facilitate full consular access to those detained was “unacceptable and in breach of the Vienna Conventions.”
Ireland is also urging the Israeli regime to “ensure that safe passage is granted to the Irish-owned vessel, the MV Rachel Corrie, which has a number of Irish citizens aboard and is currently sailing towards Gaza,” Martin said.
The Irish-registered vessel, named after the US activist killed by Israeli security forces in Gaza in 2003, has so far escaped being impounded and is reported to be still intent on delivering aid to Gaza despite the deadly storming of the flotilla.
Nobel peace laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, co-founder of Northern Ireland's Peace People, is believed to be among the passengers on the MV Rachel Corrie.