Tánaiste: Humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people must continue

European Union humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people must continue and Ireland will be strongly advocating for this, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said.

It comes after a surprise announcement by Hungary’s European Commissioner that all payments of aid to the Palestinian territories would be “immediately suspended” as a result of the Hamas attacks on Israel.

Diplomats were blindsided by declaration yesterday by the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, which was published on social media site X without an official statement from the European Commission’s central communication services.

The announcement came ahead of an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers today which Mr Martin is due to attend.

The European Union late last night reversed the announcement by Mr Varhelyi, and instead it said it would urgently review such assistance in the wake of the attacks on Israel by Hamas. The Irish Government had said earlier it would challenge the suspension.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Cabinet, Mr Martin said he did not think aid to the Palestinians will be cut.

[ Israel says Hamas ‘has nowhere to hide’ in Gaza amid ‘extensive attack’ ]

He said: “We were very concerned with the unilateral decision announced by one Commissioner yesterday and we immediately sought clarity as to the legal basis for that decision.

“In our view humanitarian aid must continue in terms of education services, in terms of health services for Palestinians in different locations both in the West Bank and in Gaza and of course in refugee camps in Jordan and elsewhere.”

Mr Martin added: “Ireland has been very, very consistent internationally in maintaining humanitarian corridors particularly in times of conflict so that ordinary Gazans, ordinary Palestinians in the West Bank will have access to basic food services, health services, education services and that’s something we will be advocating very strongly for.”

Pilgrims

A group of 50 Irish people on pilgrimage in Israel who were expected to get out on a flight from Tel Aviv airport were not able to leave the country as bombing continues unabated.

The group are believed to be still safe and in the Nazareth area of the country. The trip had been due to last until Thursday but those on the tour hoped to cut it short due to the increasing unrest.

Several of the group are from County Kilkenny. Mayor of Kilkenny Joe Malone said that plans to leave today, Tuesday, did not work out overnight as “all the flights leaving the country are booked out”.

“The group of Irish people on pilgrimage, with a small number being from Kilkenny city and county are very nervous and getting more anxious by the day. Now they are hoping they will be able to leave on Thursday as scheduled but that is even in doubt now due to all borders being closed.

“I spoke to one of them who is in a hotel in Nazareth on Saturday night and the hope was that they would be leaving [today] but that all changed overnight. So now people are very anxious as are their families.

“They are worried the situation and if it would escalate even further. They have made contact with their families and that’s important.”

Mr Malone said that if the group cannot leave on their scheduled flight on Thursday it is hoped they will be able “to fly or make their way some way” to a safer bordering country.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Peter Burke has said that Ireland will have to ensure that humanitarian aid gets through to Gaza and the West Bank to keep key services going. Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr Burke added that as far as he was concerned, from the Irish perspective, the €700million humanitarian aid that goes to the Palestinian Authority from the EU will go ahead.

All EU decisions in relation to humanitarian aid are taken at a council level under qualified majority voting, he explained. That process was key in ensuring that humanitarian aid gets into Gaza and the West Bank to keep all the public services going, schools, safe water, hospitals.

The funding will not go to Hamas, he said. It was very clear that the €16million that the Irish government contributes will go through UN agencies and NGOs that work in the region and do not have any link to Hamas. In response to a call from Independent TD Cathal Berry on Monday for the Irish government to suspend financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, Mr Burke said “absolutely not” as it was very clear who would be the victim if that were to happen.

“We have to be very understanding here. And this aid goes directly on the ground to people who are very vulnerable, who are under very difficult circumstances, and it provides their basic human rights, and we as a country have been stand out in our history in doing that in very, very difficult regions, operating on the ground and that will absolutely continue.”

The case of the missing Israeli-Irish woman Kim Damti was very distressing, he said. “And anyone who has their family or loved ones caught up in this awful atrocity, it’s a terrible space to be in. So the Irish government, obviously, through our consular services and the Department of Foreign Affairs, are working very closely on the ground now with the Israeli authorities as well. And we are providing consular assistance as we speak to the family in question.

Dáil debate sought

Meanwhile, Opposition parties here called for Dáil time to be allocated this week for statements on the crisis in the Middle East.

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said this would allow an opportunity to condemn the “horrendous actions” of Hamas in targeting innocent civilians as well as the repercussions of that which will see many people in Gaza “obliterated by the actions of the Israeli state”.

He said the “Irish voice” on the developments has been strong and “held firm when others were standing behind the dogs of war.

“We called for de-escalation. We called for a cessation of violence. And I think that needs to be a collective parliamentary voice. That’s what we’re asking for this week for Dáil time to be set aside.”

Richard Boyd-Barrett said his party, People Before Profit, have also sought Dáil time for an emergency debate to discuss what he described as “the absolutely horrendous situation that is now facing Gaza.”

He claimed Israel is committing war crimes against the people of Gaza will “massive missile attacks on residential buildings in the most densely populated area in the world”.

Mr Boyd-Barrett described the Israeli response to the weekend’s attacks by Hamas as an “attempt to impose collective punishment on 2.2 million people”.