EU review shows Israel using starvation as a weapon of war, says Taoiseach
An EU review 'paints a grim picture' of Israel's failure to adhere to international obligations, Micheál Martin has said.
The Taoiseach said the report highlights the restriction of food and medicines into Gaza, which he said 'amounts to the use of starvation as a method of war'.
The EU-Israel Association Agreement is being reviewed after a dozen EU member states backed it last month.
The unpublished report has found that there are 'indications' Israel could be in breach of its human rights obligations under the agreement, according to several media outlets.
Reacting on Saturday, Mr Martin welcomed the 'substantive and important' report on Israel's compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel deal.
He said Ireland had 'long argued' that clauses on human rights in the EU's international agreement 'have to be respected' and should prompt 'serious consequences' when they are not.
Back in February 2024, Ireland and Spain jointly called for an urgent review of whether Israel had breached its human rights obligations in the trade agreement.
A majority of EU countries did not back the review until last month, prompted by a proposal from The Netherlands.
The shift came amid Israel's months-long blockade of Gaza, which has accelerated fears of a famine. A new Israeli and US-backed aid system has been marred by violence.
Israel's 20-month military campaign in the the Palestinian enclave has killed an estimated 55,000 people and injured thousands more, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin (PA)
Mr Martin said: 'I very much welcome the substantive and important report of the EU's High Representative for Human Rights on Israel's compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
'Bringing together the reports and analysis of serious, credible and reliable sources – including the International Court of Justice, the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict and others – it paints a clear and grim picture of a sustained and deliberate failure by Israel to adhere to its international obligations, especially in Gaza but also in the West Bank.
'It highlights a continued restriction of food, medicines, medical equipment, and other vital supplies into Gaza that amount to collective punishment of the civilian population, that amounts to the use of starvation as a method of war.
'It describes an unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians in Gaza resulting from indiscriminate attacks without proportion or precaution, as well as attacks on hospitals, forced mass displacements and the killing of journalists. All of this with a persistent lack of accountability.
'In the West Bank, it reports sustained oppression of the Palestinian population, including through state and settler violence, the appropriation of land, and the use of detention as a form of collective punishment.'
He added: 'We will now work with partners to follow up on this important report with concrete steps, and I will be discussing it with my colleagues in the European Council when we meet next week.'
Read More
Israel-Iran war stretches into a second week without diplomatic breakthrough
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
US moves bombers to Pacific as Trump mulls attacking Iran
The US is moving B-2 stealth bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two officials told Reuters, as President Donald Trump weighs whether the United States should take part in Israel's strikes against Iran. It was unclear whether the bomber deployment is tied to Middle East tensions. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 14-ton GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts claim could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program, including Fordow. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declined to disclose any further details. One official said no forward orders had been given yet to move the bombers beyond Guam. They did not say how many B-2 bombers are being moved. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Experts and officials are closely watching to see whether the B-2 bombers will move forward to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Experts said that Diego Garcia is in an ideal position to operate in the Middle East from. The United States had B-2 bombers on Diego Garcia up until last month, when they were replaced with B-52 bombers. The Iranian President @drpezeshkian called me. I reiterated my firm demand: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris must be released. Their inhumane detention is unjust. I expect them to return to France. I also expressed my deep concern about Iran's nuclear program.… — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 21, 2025 Meanwhile, Israel claimed it had killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides in the more than week-long air war, while Iran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat. Israel claims Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, while Iran said its atomic program is only for peaceful purposes. However, Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Mr Trump has said he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the US should bomb Iran for Israel, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said Israel said it had attacked Iran's Isfahan nuclear site for a second time after its air force announced it had also launched salvos against missile storage and launch sites in the centre of the country. The Israeli army later claimed it was striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran. Earlier this week, a large number of US tanker aircraft were moved to Europe and other military assets to the Middle East, including the deployment of more fighter jets. An aircraft carrier in the Indo-Pacific is also heading to the Middle East. Israel's attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. In Israel, 24 civilians have died in Iranian strikes, according to authorities. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed that the military killed a veteran commander in the Quds force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm, in a strike in an apartment in Iran's Qom. The veteran commander killed was identified as Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force. Talks show little progress Iran has repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv where some critical Israeli military assets are also located. Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets, including missile production sites, a research body it claims was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the US "until Israeli aggression stops". But he arrived in Geneva yesterday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy. US President Donald Trump reiterated that he would take as long as two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Mr Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said. The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Mr Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Mr Trump said. Hundreds of US citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a US State Department cable seen by journalists. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled". Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said his country was alarmed by reports that the US might join the war. Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, "especially now under Israel's strikes".
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Nuclear diplomacy stuck, Israel says it killed top Iran commander
Iran deems European proposals to curb its nuclear programme unrealistic and a hurdle to agreement, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday, while Israel said it killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides. The more than week-long air war between longtime foes Israel and Iran continued with reports of strikes on an Iranian nuclear facility. The US was weighing whether to back Israel in the conflict while other powers urged de-escalation. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met British, French and German counterparts, plus the EU, on Friday in Geneva in search of a path back to diplomacy and a possible ceasefire. But proposals made by the European powers were "unrealistic", the senior Iranian official told Reuters, saying that insistence on them would not bring the agreement closer. "In any case, Iran will review the European proposals in Tehran and present its responses in the next meeting," the official said, adding that zero enrichment was a dead end and Tehran would not negotiate over its defensive capabilities. Israel launched attacks on June 13, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, while Iran says its atomic programme is only for peaceful purposes. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons, which it neither confirms nor denies. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm, was killed in a strike on an apartment in the city of Qom. Calling his killing a "major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force", Katz said Izadi had financed and armed the Palestinian militant group Hamas ahead of its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. The Revolutionary Guards said five of its members died in attacks on Khorramabad, according to Iranian media. They did not mention Izadi, who was on US and British sanctions lists, but said Israel had also attacked a building in Qom, with initial reports of a 16-year-old killed and two people injured. Israeli emergency teams work in an unpopulated building after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Haifa, Israel, Friday, June 20, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Baz Ratner HUNDREDS KILLED At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks, Iranian state-run Nour News said, citing the health ministry. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile attacks, according to local authorities, in the worst conflict between the longtime enemies. At a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Araqchi said Israel's aggression, which he said had indications of US involvement, should stop so Iran can "come back to diplomacy". "It is obvious that I can't go to negotiations with the US when our people are under bombardment under the support of the US", he told reporters on the sidelines, before meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The top Iranian diplomat said US involvement in the conflict would be "very dangerous". Araqchi is set to visit Moscow, Iran's ally, on Monday. President Donald Trump has said he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Iran would be able to have a nuclear weapon "within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months", he said on Friday, adding: "We can't let that happen." Yet in March, Tulsi Gabbard, his national intelligence director, testified to Congress that the US intelligence community judged that Tehran was not working on a nuclear warhead. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop at the Isfahan nuclear facility, one of Iran's biggest, was hit - but added it contained no nuclear material. Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors expressed concerns to UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi about the safety of nuclear facilities close to their countries and "dangerous repercussions" of targeting them, Qatar state news agency said. Israel said it was attacking military infrastructure. Israeli emergency teams work in an unpopulated building after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Haifa, Israel, Friday, June 20, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Baz Ratner INTERCEPTIONS OVER TEL AVIV Early on Saturday, air raid sirens were triggered across parts of central Israel and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with missile interceptions visible over Tel Aviv and explosions echoing. There were no reports of casualties. The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based rights organisation that tracks Iran, gave a higher death toll than Tehran, saying Israeli attacks have killed 639 people there. Those killed in Iran include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. Israel said it also killed a second commander of the Guards' overseas arm, whom it identified as Benham Shariyari, during an overnight strike. Iran's health minister, Mohammadreza Zafarqandi, said Israel has attacked three hospitals during the conflict, killing two health workers and a child, and has targeted six ambulances, according to Fars. Asked about such reports, an Israeli military official said that only military targets were being struck, though there may have been collateral damage in some incidents. An Iranian missile hit a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Thursday. Turkey, Russia and China have demanded immediate de-escalation. Despite the downbeat assessment from the senior Iranian official, French President Emmanuel Macron said he and Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian agreed on a Saturday call to accelerate talks. Israel says it will not stop attacks until it dismantles Iran's nuclear programme and ballistic missile capabilities, which it views as an existential threat, saying this could take more than a few weeks. -Reuters
The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
Taoiseach calls for 'concrete action' after human rights obligations in EU-Israel deal breached
ISRAEL BREACHED ITS association agreement with the EU by not fulfilling human rights obligations, in its military actions in Gaza, under a cooperation deal with member states, a much-anticipated review has found. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza – which has resulted in the deaths of 55,637 people, including women and children, since 7 October 2023 according to the health ministry there – is likely not in line with the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the review said. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who was among the 17 European leaders who called on the EU to conduct the review last month in the aftermath of Israel's near-three month siege on Gaza, has welcomed the conclusions. He said today that 'concrete steps' must be taken in respect of the review, which he intends to discuss at a leaders' summit in Brussels next week. Martin said the review paints a 'grim picture of a sustained and deliberate failure by Israel to adhere to its international obligations, especially in Gaza but also in the West Bank'. According to the Taoiseach, the review – which will be formally presented by the EU's foreign affairs commissioner to European ministers on Monday – highlights a continued restriction of basic aid, such as food, medicine and other vital supplies, in Gaza. The review says that it amounts to 'collective punishment of the civilian population' – which is illegal under international law – and that it also amounts to the use of 'starvation as a method of war'. It also references the 'unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians in Gaza' resulting from 'indiscriminate attacks without proportion or precaution'. Advertisement Many of these incidents in recent weeks have taken place at and near aid stations in the region . Israel has also been criticised in the review for its attacks on hospitals, the forced displacement of the civilian population and the murder of journalists in Gaza. Martin said that these events have taken place 'with a persistent lack of accountability'. In the West Bank, the review reports a 'sustained oppression' of the Palestinian population, including through 'state and settler violence, the appropriation of land, and the use of detention as a form of collective punishment'. Martin said there must be 'serious consequences' for when human rights obligations and international law requirements are not observed in European association agreements. While the review was a major step by European leaders, who have been criticised for their siding with Israel and lag in condemnation in the past, it is unlikely that immediate action will be taken in respect of the review. European ministers and leaders, including the EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Kaja Kallas and President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen, have recently voiced support for Israel in its war against Iran. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this week said Israel was doing 'the dirty work… for all of us' with its campaign targeting Iran's nuclear programme. Halting diplomatic dialogue with Israel – a measure that was already rejected last year – also requires backing from all EU member states. With reporting by AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
