Silence of gov/EU shows moral vacuum on Middle East
Issued : Sunday 9 July, 2006
The continued failure of the Irish government and the European Union to explicitly condemn Israeli actions in Gaza as a breach of international law and their in the face the looming humanitarian crisis for the civilian population there is quite shameful
The stark warning from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, of the likelihood of a humanitarian disaster gives some indication of the seriousness of the situation and now calls attention to the moral obligation of countries like Ireland to speak out.
Three more members of an innocent Palestinian family were killed by Israeli forces over the weekend, while the much of the world looks on in silence. The silence of the Irish government and the EU is an indication of the appalling moral vacuum into which European policy has descended in regard to the Middle East. The strongest term they can bring themselves to use is to describe the Israeli action as ‘disproportionate’, when in reality it is a serious breach of almost every tenet of international law. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, should call in the Israeli ambassador and tell him that.
The most immediate priority must be to avert the humanitarian disaster which Kofi Anan has warned against. It is essential that repairs are carried out to Gaza’s only power point, damaged by Israeli strikes, as without this it will be impossible to provide the population with clean water.
The EU must also review its approach to aid for the Palestinian population. The €100m promised by the EU has not yet arrived and many people on the ground believe that the conditions being laid down by the EU, including the bypassing of the Hamas government, will mean it may never reach those most in need.
There is also a need for the international community to take the initiative in seeking a political solution to the current crisis. This must involve the release of all hostages and also the freeing of all democratically elected representatives. The EU lost a great opportunity to respond to the 18 point initiative put forward by prisoner representatives of four groups and which was endorsed by the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. This should now be re-examined
Without such action the Palestinian people will be condemned to further needless suffering. Violence and instability will continue to plague the region, while the EU remains silent.
