Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson has said that what is happening in Gaza is "unconscionable", adding that people realise "an unfolding genocide" cannot be tolerated.
She said there is an "utter urgency" to have a ceasefire and to allow the stockpiles of food, water, medical supplies and shelters to be distributed, by the UN and many aid agencies who are ready and willing to distribute them.
Mrs Robinson said that recently the Israeli Prime Minister phoned Pope Leo XIV to apologise for the attack on the only Catholic Church in Gaza, but has not apologised "for the more than 17,000 children killed in Gaza, he has not apologised to the many more children left without limbs and without family members.
"He has not apologised for all the children of Gaza who have been traumatised by this totally disproportionate war and are now hungry to the point of starvation".
She accused Israel's government of "dehumanising" Palestinians.
Asked if Israel should be sanctioned in the way Syria and Russia were sanctioned, Mrs Robinson said there should be more sanctions on the leaders who are responsible, and there should be no arms supplies to continue this war.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the former chair of The Elders said she believes a conference in New York could be a turning point.
She said, if the P5 countries (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) recognise the state of Palestine, "then we begin the political road towards that state, we restore the humanity of the Palestinians".
She said The Elders are in favour of an approach that has Israeli and Palestinian support not at the political level, but at the academic and civil level – called 'a land for all’ - which is two-state solution, for the states of Israel and Palestine together.
Mrs Robinson said there must be a political way forward, which has been absent, and then "we deal urgently" with the humanitarian situation.
A postponed conference on a two-state solution for Palestine, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is set to go ahead in New York next Monday and Tuesday.
Mrs Robinson said that despite the absence of the French president at the conference, she believes it is still a very important because "people realise we cannot tolerate an unfolding genocide".
She said The Elders will use "our maximum morals persuasion advocacy" to really urge the foreign ministers to take the necessary steps, and notably for the UK and France, to recognise the state of Palestine.
"What France and the UK have been saying is ‘we don’t want to do it as a symbol, we want to do it at the right moment’, well now is the right moment, because otherwise it’s all going to be too late and we’re going to have a starving, genocidal killing on our doorstep, on our watch".
