Protesters occupy Department of Foreign Affairs on St Stephen’s Green

Protesters are currently occupying the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saint Stephen’s Green.

The group of protesters, who are part of Dublin for Gaza, say they are calling on Minister Martin to “use his powers to call for a binding ceasefire in Gaza via the United Nations and to immediately halt all transportation of weapons through Shannon Airport.”

Any UN member state can call for an Emergency UN General Assembly under a Uniting for Peace Resolution.

In a statement, the group said:

“We call on Minister Martin to bring a Uniting for Peace Resolution to the UN General Assembly.

“The DFA’s official position is that, “Ireland wants to see a permanent and sustainable ceasefire, the lifting of the blockade on Gaza which is at the root cause of this devastating conflict…”

“A United for Peace resolution supersedes member state’s veto and means that all 193 UN countries will be called to vote within 24 hours with a two-thirds majority needed to pass.

“A Uniting for Peace Resolution is legally binding and can be enforced by UN peacekeepers on the ground as a last resort.

“We also call on Minister Martin to ensure that Ireland plays no part in transporting weapons to Israel by refusing to grant permission for US military aircraft to fly over or land in Ireland.

“Planes directly owned by the US military get their permission to land in Shannon Airport from the Department of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with the Departments of Transport, Justice and Defence.

“We ask that the Minister refuses to give these aircraft permission to land to refuel in Shannon.”

Dublin For Gaza spokesperson Rosie Leonard stated, “US President Joe Biden is pledging military aid and weapons to the Israeli state – we call on the Minister to ensure that Ireland plays no part in transporting these weapons of destruction to Israel.

“Across the world, we are seeing workers block military aid to Israel by refusing to handle weapons, refusing to unload weapons bound for Israel, and blocking warships headed to the Middle East.

“Now we must play our part.”

Freda Hughes from Dublin for Gaza said, “Kind words are all very well but now it’s time our government takes action.

“There are over 40 Irish citizens trapped in Gaza, some of whom are in contact with us regularly.

“They are deeply traumatised and that trauma is compounded daily.

“Unlike last week’s non-binding UN General Assembly vote for a humanitarian truce, which Israel chose to ignore, a United for Peace resolution is legally binding.

“The Department has already received hundreds of calls and emails requesting this and we ask the Minister to do so immediately.”

In just 5 weeks, the Israeli army has murdered over 11,000 Palestinians, including almost 5000 children with Israel’s genocidal violence escalating every day.

The people of Ireland are united in our humanity and abhor the depraved actions of the Israeli state – we call on Minister Martin to ensure that our airports are not used to transport weapons to Israel and to immediately bring a Uniting for Peace Resolution to the UN to enforce a legally binding ceasefire.