Taoiseach Simon Harris has responded to criticism from Israel's foreign ministry, which wrote, in a statement earlier today, that he "forgot" to mention the 133 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas during his speech in the Dáil on Tuesday.
"Ireland, and myself as Taoiseach, will not be in any way distracted by any such comments from the Israeli government," Mr Harris told RTÉ News.
Describing the actions of Hamas as "despicable", Mr Harris said he had been "crystal clear" that the Irish Government wanted to see the unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate end to the violence.
Mr Harris made the comments in Warsaw after the conclusion of a meeting of seven EU leaders for an EU Strategic Agenda meeting, co-hosted by President of the European Council Charles Michel and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
"We are very, very clear that the response from Israel is now disproportionate and that it needs to stop. But it needs to stop immediately," said Mr Harris.
He added that Ireland continues to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and that any other comments from Israel are "simply distractions" and an attempt to "muddy the waters".
Earlier today Mr Harris reiterated the call for a review of EU-Israel ties during his first meeting with EU leaders in Brussels.
His predecessor Leo Varadkar had sent European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen a joint letter with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in February, calling on the Commission to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis that Israel's war in Gaza was allegedly breaching the accord’s human rights clause.
However, according to a Commission source, the review has not yet happened, and that there was no date for any such review to get under way.
Speaking to reporters after an hour-long meeting, Mr Harris said he told Ms von der Leyen that the letter "still stands".
"It is my position as Taoiseach of Ireland, and it is the position of the Irish Government, and I hope that the President of the Commission will reflect on that."
Asked if she had given an undertaking that a review of the association agreement would go ahead, the Taoiseach said Ms von der Leyen had "listened" to the Government's position and had said that EU foreign ministers had had opportunities to discuss a proposed review of EU-Israel relations.
Mr Harris said the EU had to use all the levers at its disposal to bring about a ceasefire, and that other countries across the world were doing the same.
"This is not about anything other than ensuring that international human rights law is respected," he told reporters.
"We live in a world of rules. And the breaking of international human rights law is not something that can be tolerated.
However, he added: "I'm very taken, after my engagement with Ursula von der Leyen, that while there might be a breadth of views across the European Union, there's a very clear view emerging - and about time - that there needs to be an immediate cessation of violence."
Mr Harris is meeting his Spanish counterpart in Warsaw this evening, and has invited Mr Sanchez to Dublin tomorrow.
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The Taoiseach travelled to Warsaw this evening to take part in an EU Strategic Agenda consultation, one of a series of meetings hosted by President of the European Council Charles Michel.
The discussions determine the shape of the bloc's policy priorities for the next five years, and a draft agenda will be voted on in June by the European Council.
The event, co-hosted by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, was also attended by the prime ministers of Estonia, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, and Spain.
The Taoiseach said there was not likely to be an EU-wide approach to recognising the state of Palestine.
Ireland would proceed to recognise Palestine with a group of member states, although it was not clear at this stage how many that would be.
"Ireland wishes to recognise the state of Palestine. I'd like to do that with a number of other countries and I'd like to do that following a process," he said.
The Taoiseach welcomed the passage of the EU Migration Pact by the European Parliament yesterday, confirming that the Government would opt in to the Pact, including the provision of reception and processing facilities as envisaged by the legislation.
"We need to have a firmer system in place in relation to migration, but I also very much believe we shouldn't engage in codology with the Irish people, this idea we can sort all of this out on our own.
"It is really important that we have a European approach to migration."
He said: "It will involve faster processing times, it will involve faster return processes, and it will also involve providing more facilities.
"So we have a very significant piece of work, as do all member states, around implementation, but we're committed to implementing it."
He said: "Irish people are very fair. Migration is a good thing. We need people to come to Ireland, we need them to do it legally. We need people to come to the European Union, we need them to use legal pathways.
Mr Harris's first meeting today was with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, a Maltese MEP.
"We discussed Gaza, Ukraine and my conversation with @ZelenskyyUa as well as our priorities for the EU," Mr Harris said on the social media site X.
Good first meeting in Brussels this morning with @EP_President Roberta Metsola.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) April 11, 2024
We discussed Gaza, Ukraine and my conversation with @ZelenskyyUa as well as our priorities for the EU. pic.twitter.com/QadfB4aZLN
Ms Metsola said: "Great to have you at the European Parliament, Simon Harris, just a few hours after being elected Taoiseach of Ireland.
Martin discusses Palestine recognition with Spanish minister
Separately, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said he held discussions with the Spanish Foreign Minister regarding recognition of the state of Palestine.
Earlier this week, Mr Martin said he will bring a formal proposal on recognition of a Palestinian state to the Government when "wider international discussions" are complete.
During Leaders' Questions this afternoon, he told the Dáil that he also plans on speaking to his counterparts in Norway, Slovenia and other like-minded EU countries.
It followed questions from Labour leader Ivana Bacik, who reiterated her call for Ireland to enact the Occupied Territories Bill, which would end trade between Ireland and the Occupied Territories.
Mr Martin told the house that trade was an EU competency, and therefore the Government has been advised that to enact the Occupied Territories Bill would be unlawful.
Ms Bacik, a barrister, said she believed there was a legal provision for Ireland to enact the piece of legislation.
She also referred to comments from UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Territories Francesca Albanese who said that Ireland needed to follow its words with actions.
Mr Martin told the Dáil that he had written to Ms Albanese regarding her comments, adding that he took issue with them.
He said that she was "unaware of certain measures we had taken".
"We regretted the fact she had sought no meeting with us," he added.
He also rejected suggestions that weapons may be passing through Shannon Airport en route to Israel.
"There is no-one using Shannon Airport for any weaponry to go into Gaza or into Israel for that matter," Mr Martin said, with restrictions being imposed "stringently and robustly," he said.
He was responding to Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith who said that Shannonwatch documented a sharp increase in the number of US military flights passing through Shannon since October.
She questioned the level of confidence Mr Martin expressed given "we don't inspect them".
Mr Martin accused Ms Smith of trying "to muddy the waters", and said that there were "no applications" in 2023 or 2024 to transport "munitions of war on civil aircraft" through Irish airspace to Israel.
Israel criticises Taoiseach over Dáil speech
Meanwhile, Israel's foreign ministry has denounced the Taoiseach for not mentioning the hostages held by militants in Gaza during a speech to the Dáil on Tuesday.
Israel is also furious with Ireland over its intention to recognise a Palestinian state and to intervene in the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Mr Harris "forgot" to "mention the 133 Israeli hostages who have been rotting in Hamas tunnels for the past six months," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement.
It said Ireland was also "planning to award additional prizes to terrorism" by backing South Africa, which it called "the legal arm of the Hamas terrorist organisation, and the possible recognition of a Palestinian state in the future".
"After the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust... there are those in Ireland who persist on being on the wrong side of history," the statement added.
Mr Harris told the Dáil that "innocent children, women and men are being starved and slaughtered" in Gaza.
"We have not been silent on the unforgiveable terrorist actions of Hamas on October 7, nor can we be silent on the disproportionate reaction of the Israeli government," he said.
In a 27 March statement declaring that it would intervene at the International Court of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs cited "taking of hostages" as among violations of international humanitarian law that have occurred in Israel and Gaza since 7 October.
Additional reporting Tony Connelly, Micheál Lehane, Tommy Meskill, AFP, PA
