Irish peacekeepers had to withdraw from a patrol in south Lebanon after coming under fire from the Israeli army earlier in the week.
The Tánaiste Simon Harris told The Pat Kenny Show that the incident was “deeply worrying”, though he confirmed that no Irish troops were injured during the incident.
Independent Senator and former member of the Defence Forces Gerard Craughwell said on Lunchtime Live that “this was what might be regarded as a fairly regular occurence in peacekeeping missions”.
“Really, from the political point of view, we need to put down the megaphone and pick up the telephone,” he said.
“This is a matter that should have been dealt with through diplomatic channels; a complaint to the Israeli authorities.
“I think what was probably happening, the patrol was going in a particular direction, the Israelis didn't want them to go any further.
“They fired a couple of shots, 50, maybe 150 meters ahead of the patrol, which is their way of saying, 'please don't come any further'.”
Senator Craughwell said, “nobody was in direct line of fire yesterday”.
https://www.newstalk.com/news/gaza-irish-governments-words-are-not-enough-1759582Professor at the Irish Centre For Human Rights in NUI Galway and former UN Peacekeeper Raymond Murphy agreed that these events are a regular occurrence, but said “it is important to highlight that the reckless nature of what happened”.
“The Israeli forces fired at Irish and Lebanese armed forces on the ground in the south near the so-called Blue Line,” he said.
“Doing something like that is reckless; you are potentially endangering the lives of the personnel involved."
Prof Murphy highlighted that UN Peacekeepers are protected under international law.
He said that these incidents should not be normalised, and that it is important “to protest through the normal UN channels”.
Main image: Soldiers of the 124th Infantry Battalion at Camp Shamrock in Debel before the visit of Tánaiste Micheal Martin, 19-05-2024. Image: PA Images / Alamy
