Ireland’s current focus is on preserving the ceasefire in Gaza, which has now been in place for over three months. I commend the efforts of the US, as well as Qatar, Türkiye and Egypt, to secure this agreement. As work to advance to phase two of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict continues, the situation in Gaza remains fragile and the international community must remain engaged.
Ireland is deeply concerned that improvements in humanitarian access envisaged in phase one of the plan have not fully materialised. The people of Gaza do not have enough to eat, adequate shelter from winter weather, or significant access to medicines, healthcare and sanitation. In the West Bank, the situation continues to deteriorate with settlement expansion, rising levels of settler violence and mass displacement.
Alongside Foreign Ministers from five other EU Member States, I wrote to EU High Representative Kaja Kallas in December, calling for renewed focus on the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. A lot more needs to be done to ease the immense suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
Against this background, the UN, in particular UNRWA, and other humanitarian organisations are carrying out lifesaving work. During my visit to Rafah on 13 January, I announced €42m in funding for the Palestinian people, which includes €20m for the vital work of UNRWA.
Ireland joined Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain in condemning the latest Israeli legislation targeting UNRWA, and has called for any deregistrations of international NGOs to be halted. International NGOs constitute a significant part of all humanitarian and especially health services in Gaza and the West Bank. The work of the UN, in particular UNRWA, together with other humanitarian organisations and NGOs, is essential to confront the catastrophic humanitarian situation and to deliver life-saving assistance and essential services to the civilian population in Gaza, the occupied Palestinian territory and the wider region.
Ireland welcomed the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice issued on 22 October, which authoritatively affirms Israel’s obligations under international law. The principal findings of the Court include affirmation that Israel, as an occupying Power, must ensure that the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory has the essential supplies of daily life. So long as the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is inadequately supplied, as has been the case in the Gaza Strip, Israel must agree to facilitate relief schemes on that population’s behalf, including relief provided by the United Nations and its entities, in particular UNRWA, and must not impede such relief. The Court also noted the obligation to respect the inviolability of United Nations premises and the obligation not to interfere with United Nations property and assets, and that these obligations must be upheld in the context of armed conflict.
