The Irish Independent's View: Enough is enough – Ireland and the rest of the world must act to stop Benjamin Netanyahu
Oblivious to international condemnations and outrage, Israeli troops continue to pound the Gaza Strip with airstrikes. The relentless, indiscriminate offensive was said to have killed a further 82 people.
Several women and a week-old infant were among the dead, according to health sources.
UK foreign secretary David Lammy said the situation in the enclave had become 'monstrous'. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions were 'wholly disproportionate', he added.
Absent has been any real censure of Mr Netanyahu from the US. Washington has yet to demand restraint, or to use its unique power to enforce a ceasefire.
Despite the dire situation, no humanitarian aid has yet been distributed in the enclave, according to the UN. Shocking scenes of malnutrition among children have been reported and there are genuine fears that without immediate aid, thousands of infants will die.
Mr Netanyahu this week revealed the only reason even token aid was being allowed in was for 'practical and diplomatic reasons'. He cited some US senators – Israel's 'greatest friends in the world' – who told him they would withdraw support for the country because of the media images of starving Palestinians.
The true horrors are unknown because the international media is banned in Gaza. The wanton destruction and indifference to the carnage suggest there is no level of deprivation Mr Netanyahu is not prepared to plumb. Yet it was telling that even the remote prospect of isolation from the US was enough to make him think twice. If he is allowed remain impervious, and immune from punishment for the monumental injustices, the Palestinian people risk being wiped out.
There have been renewed pleas from some TDs to call Israel to account at the UN Assembly. The aim is to get an international peacekeeping force to protect Gaza. The Government would require a Dáil mandate before invoking a UN emergency meeting.
Surely if anything can be done to stop the killing of women and small children, and enable the starving to be fed, we have a moral compunction to act.
Many Israelis are also alarmed at the scale of violence. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said: 'What Israel is currently doing in Gaza is very close to a war crime. Thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed, as well as many Israeli soldiers.'
George Orwell said: 'If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.' Israel has certainly been told often enough, only to give the international chorus of disapproval a determined deaf ear. If the US won't do it, it is up to the UN and the rest of the world – including Ireland – to make Tel Aviv pay attention.
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