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Taoiseach Micheál Martin accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being blind to the horrors of Gaza and asked: "I don't know how such a person sleeps at night." Speaking minutes after Mr Netanyahu had lashed the United Nations gathering for supporting a Palestinian state, Mr Martin said nothing could defend the slaughter and man-made famine in the strip. The Israeli leader called the decision of Ireland and other nations to recognise a Palestinian state "a mark of shame". However, Mr Martin responded in his speech by telling the UN general assembly that Ireland “stands in full solidarity” with the Palestinian people. Speaking to media afterwards, he challenged the Israeli leasdership to allow independent journalists and observers in to see the reality. "It seems to me that he's completely blind to the horrors of children who have been burned, been bombed, who've been maimed, mutilated in Gaza. "And I don't understand how a person can go to sleep at night responsible for such trauma, such carnage in Gaza, "So his speech in that perspective is deeply, deeply disappointing to say the least." In his official address earlier, Mr Martin also condemned Israel's actions as a genocide. “It is not possible to describe the scale of the physical and psychological suffering endured by the Palestinian people for two long and brutal years,” the Taoiseach said. “What is happening in Gaza cannot be justified or defended. It is an abandonment of all norms, all international rules and law. “We are witnessing hunger being used as an instrument of war. Babies starving to death while aid rots at the border. "People shot while desperately seeking food for their families. The deliberate targeting and destruction of schools, hospitals, mosques, cultural institutions. “The killing of doctors, aid workers, journalists. Genocide. The gravest of crimes in international law.” Mr Martin was applauded by delegates as he also called on nations with influence and supplying arms to Israel, such as the US, to do more to stop the horror. He added: “Those responsible for war crimes must be held accountable – there can be no impunity. “We also need to hold to account those responsible for the attack on Israel of 7 October, 2023 – that too was a monstrous war crime. “Hamas, not the Palestinian people, were responsible. Hamas must answer for its crimes. Hamas can have no role in the future governance in Palestine. But no crime, however heinous, can justify genocide. "A two-state solution remains the only prospect for a peaceful future in which the people of Israel and the people of Palestine can live in peace and security, side-by-side.” The Taoiseach also launched a stern defence of the UN and its system of international rules and law, which is marking 80 years at the conference in New York this week. US President Donald Trump used his address earlier this week to attack the world body and brand it pointless . He added: “80 years ago, the world was emerging from the most savage conflict in our history. 80 million people lay dead. “A deliberate, industrial-scale genocide, aimed at obliterating Europe’s Jewish population, saw six million people murdered – a monstrous crime that remains unsurpassed in human history. “As it marks its 80th anniversary, the United Nations has never been more necessary,” Mr Martin said. “The UN continues to represent the best of humanity. “If it falters, it is not because it “is no longer relevant, it is because we, as Leaders, have let it down. “Since Ireland joined in 1955, the United Nations has been the cornerstone of our foreign policy. There is no Member State more committed to its ideals. “Like all small Member States, we depend on the UN Charter and the protections of international law for our security and well-being. “At a time when the world risks slipping back into an order in which might is right , and some voices count more than others, it is up to us as Leaders to reassert and to insist on the primacy of international cooperation.” The Taoiseach went on to push Ireland’s case for a seat on the UN’s influential Human Rights Council in 2027. He also urged more sanctions on Russia to bring it to the table for peace talks in Ukraine and highlighted the spectre of the horrific famine in Sudan. And he recalled Ireland’s proud history of UN peacekeeping over 67 years, including four decades in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke just an hour before the Taoiseach. Encircled by critics and protesters, he told fellow world leaders on Friday that his nation "must finish the job" against Hamas in Gaza, giving a defiant speech despite growing international isolation over his refusal to end the devastating war. "Western leaders may have buckled under the pressure," he said. "And I guarantee you one thing: Israel won't." He spoke after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the UN General Assembly hall en masse on Friday as he began his speech. Responding to countries' recent decisions to recognise Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu said: "Your disgraceful decision will encourage terrorism against Jews and against innocent people everywhere." He is facing international isolation, accusations of war crimes and growing pressure to end a conflict he has continued to escalate. In recent days, Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and others followed Ireland in announcing recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Tánaiste Simon Harris is pushing the European Union for an early vote on imposing tariffs and sanctions on Israel. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant accusing Netanyahu of crimes against humanity, which he denies. And the UN's highest court is weighing South Africa's allegation that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, which it vehemently refutes. At a special session of the assembly this week, nation after nation expressed horror at the 2023 attack by Hamas militants that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, saw 251 taken hostage and triggered the war. Many of the representatives went on to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and influx of aid. Israel's sweeping offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced 90 per cent of its population, with an increasing number now starving. While more than 150 countries now recognise a Palestinian state, the United States has not. But President Donald Trump pointedly signalled on Thursday that there are limits, telling reporters in Washington that he wouldn't let Israel annex the occupied West Bank. Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet during his visit. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
