MADRID 5 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, criticized this Saturday the “outrageous threats” of the Israeli Armed Forces against Irish ‘blue helmets’ deployed in southern Lebanon within the framework of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). ).
Higgins has denounced that Israel “demands that the entire UNIFIL operation under UN mandate leave.” “The Irish contingent of 347 members is part of a group of 10,000 UNIFIL soldiers,” he recalled. “It is outrageous that the Israel Defense Forces have threatened this peacekeeping force and wanted them to evacuate the villages they were defending,” said the Irish head of state.
The withdrawal demand “is not only an insult to the most important global institution, which has 193 member countries, but also an insult to the military and their families who have taken risks so that we can all live in peace and protect the most vulnerable.” “, he added.
“I am confident that the courage demonstrated by our contingent and their colleagues will be recognized by those who value peace, at home and abroad,” he argued.
The Irish military openly rejected the request made by the Israeli Army to leave several towns in the area and around thirty of them have been blocked without being able to leave their positions for several days near Marun el Ras.
Irish public television has even reported that Israeli soldiers entered the Irish surveillance post and opened fire on Hezbollah targets from there.
Higgins also remembered the “innocent” victims of the attack by Palestinian militias on October 7, “the outrageous attack and murders by Hamas” and the hostage taking. “We should not have come to these “horrible” events, to “collective punishment, revenge and the destruction of homes and health and educational institutions.”
“It is so important that we do not add to the loss and mutilation of life that occurred last October and the months that have passed since then,” he argued.
In response, the Israeli Embassy in Ireland has criticized Higgins’ “baseless and inflammatory” statements and has argued that the Army requested that UNIFIL forces “move from areas of military activity for their own protection and safety” due to the ” changing security situation”.
“Let us be clear that the security of peacekeepers is of immense importance to Israel. Trying to present it as a threat to UNIFIL forces is another baseless and inflammatory accusation against Israel like those we have seen in recent months “, argued the Embassy.
VIOLATION OF RESOLUTION 1701
For his part, the Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Micheál Martin, has denounced the “unacceptable violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701” represented by the Israeli ground military incursion on Lebanese soil.
Maritn has thus denounced the “escalation of violence in Lebanon” and recalled that two of the 25 checkpoints on the Blue Line that function as the border are managed by the Irish military, with 30 troops in each one.
“Irish staff at checkpoints operate under level 3, which means they are ordered to stay put and remain in bunkers,” he explained. “It is important that they continue to monitor and report violations of UN resolutions. The situation is undoubtedly very difficult for them,” he added.
Martin stressed that “morale is good, despite the circumstances.” “We are concerned about all those affected by the conflict, but at this moment we are especially concerned about the well-being of our troops,” he noted before highlighting their “courage, professionalism and resistance.”
Martin has called on Hezbollah and Israel to “move away from the precipice and achieve a peaceful solution, starting with a ceasefire,” he concluded.
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