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PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins’ suggestion for Israel and its allies who are carrying out and supporting genocide to be excluded from the United Nations (UN) has been dismissed as not official Irish government policy.
Speaking to reporters at the National Ploughing Championships yesterday, Higgins reacted to the findings of an independent expert report commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council which concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
“I believe myself that the kind of actions that are necessary now are the exclusion of those who are practising genocide, and those who are supporting genocide with armaments.
“We must look at their exclusion from the United Nations itself, and we should have no hesitation any longer in relation to ending trade with people who are inflicting this at our fellow human beings,” he said.
The commission is unable to take action against individual countries but its findings could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or the UN’s International Court of Justice.
Israel refused to cooperate with the commission and has described allegations of genocide as antisemitic.
Asked about the president’s comments and whether he is at odds with official government policy, the government’s spokesperson for the Tanaiste said calling for the expulsion of Israel and its allies, such as the US, from the UN “is not the official government position”.
“The president has always been very outspoken when it comes to these issues and he is entitled to that view. What the government is doing is working through the UN and the EU, for example, to try to bring pressure on Israel through the announcement today by the Commission, for example. That is the approach we will continue to take,” they said.
The European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, has today officially proposed the suspension of parts of the agreement that gives Israel special trade concessions in the EU market, although that measure’s adoption will still come down to a vote among member states.
Israel was set to receive an average of €6 million per year from the EU between 2025 and 2027 from two different funds. Those payments have now been put on hold.
When pushed on whether the president should have made such remarks, the spokesperson said the “president is entitled to make the remarks that he did”.
A government spokesperson for the Taoiseach said multilateralism has been the clear policy of the Irish government, adding that it is about “trying to engage with people through the UN and EU to get them to agree with our position”.
“The president speaks for a lot of people in Ireland, a lot of people will agree with his views, he is very well respected. He does have his opinions, but our [government] policy is clear that we are trying to engage with people through the multilateral system,” they said, confirming that it is not the Irish government’s policy to seek the removal of the US or Israel from the UN.
They said Ireland will continue to engage with Israel, as it does with other nations, in an attempt to bring about de-escalation through diplomacy and dialogue.
Both the Tánaiste Simon Harris and Taoiseach Micheál Martin will travel to New York next week for the United Nations High Level week, where it is expected significant pressure will be placed on Israel over the genocide underway in Gaza.
A number of countries are also expected to officially recognise the State of Palestine.
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