Opening statement by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris, Dáil Motion – “Gaza and UN Peacekeeping Force”

Dáil Éireann

28 May 2025

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Ceann Comhairle,

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward the motion and for the constructive way in which they approach the appalling situation in Gaza and the Middle East.

It is right that we take every opportunity we can in this House to consider what further actions we can take to help press for peace and an end to the onslaught on the people of Gaza.

Day after day, for almost 600 days, we have witnessed the horrors escalate before our very eyes to the dismay of the Irish people who cannot fathom the seeming incapacity of the world to bring this injustice, suffering and death to an end, and work towards a lasting peace.

I want to say at the outset that we live in a country where there is generally a shared perspective and the government’s overarching approach is based on the clear view of the Irish people that we must do everything in our power to act against war crimes.

I have to also say that while this is true in Ireland, it is regrettable that it is only belatedly – and too belatedly - a more united voice is being found among the international community in response to the war crimes we are witnessing.

I want to clearly restate Ireland’s position.

We unequivocally condemn the terror attacks by Hamas in Israel on 7 October 2023.

We unequivocally condemn the taking of hostages by Hamas and have repeatedly called for their release.

We are clear that Hamas have brought nothing but death and suffering to the people of Palestine and the people of Israel.

We strongly condemn the continuing Israeli military operations in Gaza and abhor Israel’s clear plans to not only persist but go further - to starve, to displace, to kill, to conquer.

We call on Israel to fully lift the blockade it has imposed and allow for unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza.

The entire population of Gaza is facing high levels of food insecurity, with one in five - half a million people - facing starvation.

This is evil beyond words.

We cry out for urgent efforts to ensure an immediate ceasefire and we call for the release of all remaining hostages.

This government has been proactive in seeking to achieve these objectives and has shown leadership at the international level, both on addressing the immediate situation and on creating the conditions for a just and lasting peace.

As we should. Because the situation in Gaza is of unprecedented gravity. The images and reports that are emerging on a daily basis are dreadful and horrifying to behold.

People starving. Children dying. Malnourished babies. Those taking shelter in tents subjected to aerial bombing. Bombed out schools and hospitals. A vast wasteland of rubble where homes and houses once stood. The basic requirements for human life and human dignity expunged under relentless attack.

The urgency of the need for peace could not be clearer.

The need for action could not be clearer.

The government will not oppose this Motion.

Indeed we agree with the Motion in spirit, but I must set out that we do have some issues with the t Motion as tabled.

That is because there are elements under consideration today that are already being addressed by existing initiatives at UN level, including within the framework of the 'Uniting for Peace' Resolution 377, in which Ireland is playing lead a role.

The motion asks the government to call for a new Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly, which I consider to be a constructive request.

I hope colleagues opposite will welcome that there is already an Emergency Special Session dedicated to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. This is the 10th Emergency Special Session, which was established in 1997 under the “Uniting for Peace” Resolution.

It has been resumed over twenty times since it was established, including on six occasions since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on 7 October.

At the resumed 10th Emergency Session on 24-26 October 2023, Ireland was among the first countries in the world to call for a ceasefire.

This contributed to momentum towards the eventual call, by the General Assembly, for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in a Resolution adopted by an overwhelming majority in December 2023.

At the resumed Session in May 2024, shortly before Ireland recognised the State of Palestine – exactly one year ago today - Ireland strongly supported a Resolution to upgrade Palestine’s rights at the UN as an Observer State and urged the Security Council to give “favourable consideration” to Palestine’s request for full membership.

Next month, a High Level Conference on Palestine and the two State solution will be held at the UN, chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.

This Conference was mandated by way of a resolution tabled by Palestine and adopted at the reconvened 10th Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on 18 September 2024.

Ireland has been asked by the French and Saudi Co-Chairs to play a central role at this Conference, where we will co-chair one of the eight Working Groups, together with Türkiye.

The Conference will focus on topics central to the two-State solution, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the delivery of aid; Palestinian institutions and state building; governance and security arrangements; and how to promote peace and reconciliation. Ireland will co-chair the Working Group on Preserving the two State solution.

For these reasons, the UN Conference next month is Ireland’s focus. This is also the focus of Palestine and our likeminded partners. Any parallel unilateral effort by Ireland could undermine these efforts.

Ceann Comhairle,

I want to be clear on what the “Uniting for Peace” Resolution can and cannot do.

The “Uniting for Peace” resolution, which the Labour motion refers to, dates from the time of the Korean War, in 1950. The reality is that only once, in seventy years, back in 1956, has the resolution been used to establish a peacekeeping force.

This was under very specific circumstances at the time, in which all the parties and the key members of the Security Council were in agreement. Sadly, similar circumstances do not exist today.

There is a reason why it has not been used for this purpose since then. The General Assembly can only recommend action, including under the ‘United for Peace’ resolution, but such recommendations by the General Assembly are not binding. Only the UN Security Council can compel such action.

While it might be possible to envisage a future role for a UN peacekeeping mission, with the agreement of the parties and Palestine and backed by the UN Security Council, I want to be clear that the conditions do not currently exist for such a mission to be established now.

This is not to say that the UN General Assembly does not have a role to play. It clearly does.

Consideration of any issue by the General Assembly is a significant indication of its importance to the international community, and an opportunity for each Member State to speak in defence of the protection of the fundamental values of United Nations.

The fact that the 10th Emergency Special Session has been resumed over twenty times is a testament to the importance that the international community gives to situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

And the fact that Palestine can now table its own Resolutions, and has done so, including to call for the High-Level Conference next month, is also significant.

Ireland is working closely with international partners to bolster efforts to implement the two-State solution, including through meetings of the ‘Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution’. The fifth meeting of the Global Alliance was held in Morocco on 20 May.

Ireland also participated in a meeting of the Madrid Group of Arab, Islamic and European countries in expanded format, on 25 May, for a discussion on how to advance implementation of the two-State solution ahead of the June UN Conference. The meeting included a number of additional European countries attending for the first time including France, Germany and the UK, as well as Brazil.

Last week’s decision at the Foreign Affairs Council, when a clear majority of EU Member States agreed on the need to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement was an important step forward. Even before the review has taken place, the decision sent a strong signal to Israel to reverse course, to halt its military operations and to lift the blockade on lifesaving aid.

This decision reflects the grave concerns held by Member States regarding the ongoing military operations by Israel and the blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

Ireland led the way, together with Spain, in calling for this course of action at a much earlier stage.

It is important that this review is carried out in a timely manner, so that EU Ministers can consider its findings and take appropriate next steps.

Let me be clear. This is about using the levers available to the EU bring about change, to encourage Israel to reverse course, to halt hostilities and end the appalling humanitarian blockade.

It is my view that it would be appropriate to suspend the Association Agreement pending the full review. This would require the agreement of other Member States and I will be arguing for that.

Our position on the conflict is grounded in our deep commitment to international law.

We remain convinced that the implementation of the two-State solution is the only way to establish lasting peace and security for both Israel and Palestine, and the wider region.

Today marks twelve months since Ireland’s recognition of the State of Palestine, together with Spain and Norway, and followed closely by Slovenia.

We now see the question of recognition at the centre of the international debate. The decision we took a year ago has contributed to this change.

I welcome the announcement by Malta that it will recognise Palestine at next month’s UN conference.

I encourage other states, including many of our EU partners, to also take this step.

If there is to be a two State solution, there must be two states.

Equally, we wish to see recognition of Israel by those states who have not yet taken this step.

Ceann Comhairle,

Here at home, we are advancing work on the commitment in the Programme for Government in relation to settlement goods. –

Yesterday, I secured the agreement of Government to move forward with the swift preparation of a General Scheme to ban the import of goods from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

This was a significant decision which saw Ireland become the first country in Europe to take such a step.

I look forward to working with colleagues across the house and to sending the Bill to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs for scrutiny before the summer recess.

This is another area where Ireland is at the forefront. It is my hope that other countries will consider taking similar action and that we can continue building consensus.

Such is the gravity of the situation we must coalesce on a united message to Israel that we repudiate its actions in every way.

Colleagues,

This terrible conflict has gone on for too long and at a horrendous human cost.

We desperately need peace now.

We desperately need humanitarian access at scale.

We must see the release of hostages.

We must have urgent relief for the suffering civilian population in Gaza.

And we must get back to a political pathway.

The government is committed to taking action in support of these goals.

We are using every lever at our disposal - political, diplomatic and legal - to do so.

We are doing so because it is the right thing to do and because it is the will of the Irish people.

I believe, whatever our differences, that this House should be united in expressing that will.

I look forward to working with members across this House on these extraordinarily pressing issues in the time ahead.

Go raibh maith agaibh.