Israeli actions in Gaza “not acceptable”, says Varadkar

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that while Israel is “under threat,” their actions in the Gaza Strip are “not acceptable.”

Speaking on RTÉ’s Prime Time last night, Varadkar defended Israel’s right to defend itself from enemy threats, but it did not justify Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to cut off power to the Gaza Strip.

“Israel is entirely justified in going after Hamas, in Gaza and elsewhere, but operations that clearly affect civilians disproportionately are wrong, cutting off electricity, cutting off water, that’s not acceptable,” Varadkar said.

“Israel is a country that is surrounded by these brutal, savage groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, countries like Iran, often supported by Islamic fundamentalists and anti-Semites around the world, so Israel is under threat.”

“To me, it amounts to collective punishment. Cutting off power, cutting off fuel supplies and water supplies, that’s not that way a respectable democratic state should conduct itself.”

“I believe by targeting civilians and by cutting off civilian infrastructure, that is a breach of international humanitarian law. And I think it’s very important for us, as Ireland to make sure that that voice is brought to the table at European Union level.”

The issue was discussed in the Dáil during the week, which led to heated and emotional arguments about the war.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said “the Israeli Government has brazenly, publicly and openly declared its intention to commit a war crime, and has commenced that war crime against the people of Gaza. It has said it intends to starve 2.2 million people of food, electricity and water. That is a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

Boyd Barrett called on Varadkar to impose sanctions on Israel and for the European Union to stop arming Israel, dubbing it an “apartheid state.”

Varadkar responded  “the Deputy and I could live our lives freely in Israel, me as a gay man and the Deputy as a revolutionary socialist. Neither of us would be able to live our lives freely in Gaza. We would not, because of the oppression that would be imposed on people like the Deputy and me.”

He said that Israel has a right to exist, but added “if it is unacceptable for the President of Russia to target power stations and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, then the same must apply to the Israeli Government and the actions it takes on targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza.”

Last Saturday’s attack on Israel by Hamas has caused Netanyahu and his Government to declare war, vowing retribution for the coordinated attacks that left hundreds dead across Israel.

The situation in Israel has caused Netanyahu to form a wartime Government, which includes members from opposition parties, and has declared that Israeli forces will launch a “merciless” war on Palestine.

Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have been condemned by United Nations officials.

Adnan Abu Hasna, the media adviser for the agency that looks after Palestinian refugees, told the New York Times that the suffering of Palestinian people was “absolutely horrible.”

“We are facing a huge disaster,” he said.

Israeli Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich said “right now, we are at war. It’s a war that we didn’t choose, we didn’t start, but we need to make sure that our borders are secure, that our people are safe. Our people are not safe yet.”

“We will do everything that we can in order to make our people safe.”

“They’ve (Hamas) have been planning this attack for so long. They’re stockpiling for so long. They’ve been wielding terror tunnels for so long. If only they would have invested that money in stockpiling food for their people or water for the people. Why didn’t they take care of their people?” she said.