Following the announcement by the Israeli embassy in Dublin that it might close, Taoiseach Simon Harris promised to maintain direct relations with Israel in order to achieve a truce in Gaza, reports RTE.
Following a phone conversation with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Harris reaffirmed his demands for a permanent truce, the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian relief in Gaza, and the release of all hostages.
The Israeli foreign minister accused Ireland of employing “antisemitic rhetoric” and of going over “every red line in its relations with Israel” when Israel announced earlier this month that it would shutter its embassy in Dublin, reports RTE.
Mr. Harris has denied the allegations and charged Israel with “distracting” from the conflict’s kid fatalities.
He assured Mr. Abbas of “the solidarity and unbreakable support” that the Irish people had for the Palestinian people.
The Taoiseach informed the Palestinian leader that “the heartbreaking conditions and loss of innocent life” in Gaza this year “weigh heavily on the minds of many Irish people” as they spend Christmas with their families, according to a readout following the phone conversation, reports RTE.
According to Mr. Harris, Ireland would “start to rebuild shattered lives” and “use its voice and influence at every opportunity in every international forum it can” to achieve a ceasefire, including through direct bilateral contacts with Israel and Palestine.
He said: “While speaking to President Abbas it was foremost in my mind that the heart-shattering milestone of more than 45,000 dead was passed earlier this month, of which nearly 15,000 were innocent children. President Abbas told me that 50 people have died and 100 have been injured in Gaza every day in 2024. On top of this, we have seen so-called safe zones bombed in the last few days and the conditions in Gaza as described by the UN are horrific,” reports RTE.
He added: “1.1 million children are living in hellish conditions. Families lack the most basic items, including food, clothing, shoes, mattresses, blankets and kitchen supplies. There is a dangerous shortage of medicines, with diseases spreading rapidly due to the cold. Tens of thousands of people are living at sites with no basic services at all,” reports RTE.
“That’s no bathroom, no water and no food. It is also deeply troubling that the West Bank and East Jerusalem continue to see buildings being cleared and demolished. The risk of famine has not subsided and the only conclusion that can fairly be drawn at the end of 2024 is that the world has failed the innocent people of Gaza,” reports RTE.
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