The European Union’s credibility is on the line if it fails to respond firmly to Israel over breaches of international law and what he called war crimes on several fronts, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
Speaking before a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, Mr Martin pointed to growing pressure from several member states, including Ireland, for sanctions against Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Leaders are also due to examine forthcoming European Commission proposals for a possible EU-wide ban on goods produced in illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Although sanctions would need the backing of all 27 member states — support that is not currently in place — and a goods ban could pass by weighted majority, the Taoiseach said the issue should still be put to a vote among EU foreign ministers.
A number of EU countries have said they do not back punitive sanctions against Itamar Ben-Gvir
Mr Martin said Israel appeared indifferent to the consequences of its actions across the region.
He told reporters: “There comes a stage when people should be allowed to vote as member states to articulate their positions. If it’s put to a vote at some stage, then that might create its own dynamic in terms of member states’ positions in respect of Israel’s behavior in Lebanon, in Gaza, and indeed in the West Bank, in particular.”
He added: “When we go to other countries and say to them, in terms of Ukraine and the Russian invasion, or what’s happening in Sudan, I think our credibility is damaged by our failure to act.
“I understand fully that not everybody is on the same page, and countries for historical reasons have different perspectives. We look at it in terms of fairness, justice, human rights, and by any standard, by any objective assessment, what has happened in Gaza.”
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The Taoiseach wrote to European Council President Antonio Costa, who chairs summit meetings, after Mr Ben-Gvir’s harassing of the Gaza Flotilla detainees, asking for the incident to be placed on the agenda for this evening’s meeting.
Earlier this week, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said there was still no unanimous backing among member states for sanctions against Mr Ben-Gvir.
Any EU sanctions targeting an individual or entity require the approval of every member state.
Several countries, including Czechia, have said they do not support punitive sanctions against Mr Ben-Gvir over the flotilla issue.
Mr Martin confirmed this month that Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich had been barred from travelling to Ireland, saying the ministers’ words “amount to a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine”.
