Tánaiste among 25 foreign ministers calling for Gaza ceasefire, as denial of aid deemed 'unacceptable'
They have condemned the 'drip feeding' of aid and the 'inhumane killing of civilians,' and urged Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
In the letter released today, foreign ministers reiterated calls for the unconditional release of hostages being held by Hamas since 7 October, arguing that a ceasefire has the 'best hope' of bringing them home.
Tánaiste Simon Harris signed the letter alongside the foreign ministers for Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
Deaths of people waiting for handouts in huge crowds near food points in Gaza have become a regular occurrence, with the territory's authorities frequently blaming Israeli fire.
Israel must immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and other organisations to do their life saving work safely and effectively. Hamas must release all hostages immediately.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD)
July 21, 2025
The foreign ministers said today that Israel's aid delivery model is 'dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity'.
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'It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. The Israeli Government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,' the letter says.
The ministers hit out at Israel's efforts to impose the E1 settlement plan announced by Israel which, if implemented, would divide a Palestinian state in two – 'a flagrant breach of international law'.
They noted that settlement building across the West Bank including East Jerusalem has accelerated while settler violence against Palestinians has increased.
'Proposals to remove the Palestinian population into a 'humanitarian city' are completely unacceptable. Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law,' they said.
'We strongly oppose any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.'
Trade with Israel
Meanwhile, the European Union this month agreed to work with the Netanyahu government to increase the level of aid in Gaza.
However, European leaders
couldn't agree on
whether to put an end to trading with Israel.
A third of Israel's imports come from the EU, valued at over €23bn annually, while Europe imports less than 1% of its goods from Israel.
Suspending trade ties would require a unanimous decision, which is likely impossible as countries like Austria, Germany and Hungary, that tend to more supportive of Israel's government.
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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Taoiseach asks to see report on alleged anti-Semitism in Irish school books
The Taoiseach has asked to see a report, conducted by an Israeli education organisation, on alleged 'promotion' of anti-Semitism in Irish schoolbooks. The report published late last year finds 'concerning misrepresentations of the Holocaust, Judaism and Israel' in some schoolbooks at primary and second level. Conducted by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (Impact-se), the report analysed primary and post-primary textbooks, focusing on history and religious education. 'The findings reveal a troubling pattern of trivialisation and minimisation of the Holocaust,' it says. 'For instance, Auschwitz was referred to misleadingly as a 'prisoner of war camp', failing to acknowledge its role as a death camp where mass extermination occurred,' the report says. READ MORE 'Such descriptions dilute the historical and emotional gravity of the Holocaust, providing students with an incomplete understanding of this atrocity.' 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In so doing, it ignores the diverse teachings in Jewish texts that advocate for peace, justice,' says Impact-se. A spokesman for said the book ' highlights the importance of working to prevent anti-Semitism". 'For example, the material on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism on pages 396 to 399 explicitly stresses the importance of standing up against anti-Semitism. Inspire also includes many examples that cover the diverse teachings in Jewish texts that advocate for peace, justice and the sanctity of life,' he said, providing examples from the book. A Leaving Certificate religious education book, Faith Seeking Understanding, published by Veritas, is 'problematic', says the report, because it labels the Auschwitz concentration camp by name only. 'Auschwitz was not merely a geographical location ... Failing to label the image as 'Auschwitz Death Camp' or at least 'Auschwitz Concentration Camp' fails to convey the horrific reality associated with the name.' Veritas closed last year and could not be contacted for comment. Gill Education and Edco did not respond to requests for comment. The Taoiseach's office did not comment on the report, though confirmed Micheál Martin has sought a copy of it. 'During [a] meeting a report on the representation of Jews, Judaism and Israel in Irish school textbooks was raised. Following the meeting, the Taoiseach requested a copy of the report,' said a spokesman. Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish Representative Council, said he had sought a meeting the Department of Education amid concerns from parents of the estimated 700 to 1,000 Jewish school-going children about 'material that was offensive to Jewish people in our schoolbooks'. 'I was told I would receive a call within four days to arrange a meeting. The call never came,' said Mr Cohen. 'In recent times, the classroom has become a battleground for political messaging – particularly concerning the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. 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RTÉ News
5 hours ago
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USAID analysis found no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid
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RTÉ News
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Israel, US reject French move to recognise Palestinian state
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J'en ferai l'annonce solennelle à l'Assemblée générale des Nations unies, au mois de septembre prochain.… — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 24, 2025 Home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities, France will become the first major Western country to recognise a Palestinian state. The news sparked anger in Israel and Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision by one of Israel's closest allies and a G7 member, saying such a move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy." In a post on X, he added: "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. We strongly condemn President Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the October 7 massacre. Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a… — Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) July 24, 2025 "Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel." Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the move as "a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism," adding that Israel would not allow the establishment of a "Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence." In response, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States "strongly rejects (Macron's) plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly." In a post on X, he said: "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th." Earlier, Canada also pressed Israel to seek peace, with Prime Minister Mark Carney condemning its "failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza" and reiterating support for a two-state solution. Mr Carney also accused Israel of violating international law over the blocking of Canadian-funded aid to civilians in the war-torn Palestinian enclave. "Canada calls on all sides to negotiate an immediate ceasefire in good faith," he added. "We reiterate our calls for Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, and for the Israeli government to respect the territorial integrity of the West Bank and Gaza." In a diplomatic cable in June, the United States said it opposed steps to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state, even saying it could go against US foreign policy interests and draw consequences. In June, Washington's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said he did not think an independent Palestinian state remained a US foreign policy goal. President Donald Trump has himself expressed doubts about a two-state solution, proposing a US takeover of Gaza in February, that was condemned by rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the UN as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing". Mr Macron had been leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state for months as part of a bid to keep the idea of a two-state solution alive, despite the pressure not to do so. French officials initially weighed up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia had planned to co-host in June to lay out parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. The conference was postponed under US pressure and after the 12-day Israel-Iran air war began, during which the closure of regional airspace made it hard for representatives of some Arab states to attend. It was rescheduled and downgraded to a ministerial event on 28-29 July, with a second event taking place with heads of state and government on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. The decision to make the announcement ahead of next week's conference aimed to give the French team at the United Nations a framework to work with other countries that are also considering recognising a Palestinian state or have misgivings in doing so. Diplomats say Mr Macron has faced resistance from allies such as Britain and Canada over his push for the recognition of a Palestinian state. About 40 foreign ministers will be in New York next week. Israeli officials have spent months lobbying to prevent what some have called "a nuclear bomb" for bilateral ties. Sources familiar with the matter say Israel's warnings to France have ranged from scaling back intelligence sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives - even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank. Israel has been waging a devastating war in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group Hamas' deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and says recognising a Palestinian state now would be equivalent to rewarding Hamas. Thanking France, the Palestinian Authority's Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh said on X that Mr Macron's decision reflected "France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state."
