Burak Bir
13 December 2023•Update: 14 December 2023
LONDON
Ireland's prime minister said Wednesday that what is happening in Gaza is also a disaster for Israel because it is losing support and sympathy.
It is a disaster "because this will not bring them security," Leo Varadkar told parliament in the nation’s capital, Dublin.
"What the Israeli government is doing is jeopardizing the long-term and medium-term security of the Israeli people.
"It won't bring them peace, and they are very quickly losing support and sympathy all around the world. Even their closest ally, the United States, I believe, is beginning to have second thoughts about what they're seeing unfolding in Gaza," he noted.
Defining Tuesday's UN General Assembly vote for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, the Irish premier said it was significant and Ireland welcomed it.
"Only 10 countries now siding with Israel and what we're seeing unfolding in Gaza is an absolute disaster for the Palestinian people, and they are experiencing such terrible suffering," said Varadkar.
The non-binding resolution, presented by Egypt, with the support of nearly 100 countries, including Türkiye, passed with 153 votes in favor as the 193-member General Assembly gathered for an emergency special session on Palestine.
The Irish prime minister went on to say that it is a "strategic disaster" for Israel and it is making a "huge mistake."
Voicing concern about the current situation in the besieged enclave, Varadkar said it is "intolerable," and "unacceptable" for Ireland.
Saying that the relentless bombings and killing of innocent civilians "must end," he underlined that his government will be making the case and will continue to make the case in Brussels and elsewhere for an immediate and lasting cease-fire.
"I continue to make the case that Europe needs to change its position in relation to Israel and Palestine to be less passive and to push on demand for a two-state solution in the way that we haven't done in the past," he added.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip for over two months, killing more than 18,500 Palestinians and leaving a trail of destruction.
