Gaza a ‘crucible of suffering’ for civilians: Irish president
Irish President Michael D. Higgins says Israel has transcended all of the boundaries of humanitarian law since the beginning of its genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In his final Christmas address to the country on Friday, Higgins, whose term will expire in 2025, made special mention of the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and other war zones around the world.
He said Gaza has “now become a crucible of suffering for children and their families” with over 45,000 dead, 17,000 of whom children, and perhaps 11,000 under the rubble.
He slammed international inaction on the killing of civilians.
“The silence of many influential figures in the face of gross human rights violations against civilians grants impunity to those who blatantly impose collective punishments on civilians, including starvation, which, as I speak, particularly affects women and children,” the Irish president emphasized.
At least 45,227 Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been killed and 107,573 wounded in the war that Israel began on October 7, 2023, following a retaliatory operation by the Palestinian territory’s resistance movements.
Ireland and Israel are currently involved in a diplomatic spat over Dublin’s support for Palestinians.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a statement last week that the regime will close its embassy in Ireland for what he claimed was “extreme anti-Israel policy.”
In response to the decision, Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin defended his country's stance on the developments in the West Asia region and said demanding accountability for the ongoing Israeli campaign of genocide in Gaza and respect for international law cannot be seen as "hostile acts towards Israel."
Earlier this month, Ireland officially joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) following government approval and called on the court to "broaden its interpretation" of what constitutes genocide.
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