Taoiseach 'genuflecting before Trump' instead of 'condemning military aggresion'

Micheál Martin was asked to condemn outright the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, but he declined to do so

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and US President Donald Trump in Washington DC last year. Mr Martin was accused in the Dáil of "soft pedalling" around Mr Trump over Iran.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has declined to condemn US-Israeli attacks on Iran as breaking international law, as opposition leaders accuse the Government of being afraid to upset the Trump White House.

Mr Martin told the Dáil there needs to be an immediate de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, saying it needs to be done via diplomatic channels.

He was asked by several opposition leaders to condemn outright the attacks by the US and Israel, but he declined to do so.

However, Mr Martin did condemn attacks against an Iranian school, with reports of 165 Iranian school girls being killed.

“I will condemn the killing of children anywhere in any situation. Children and innocent civilians must be prioritised without question,” Mr Martin said.

The Taoiseach said Ireland is in favour of a rules-based international order, but said this has been “dysfunctional for some time”.

He said the UN has been “powerless” to prevent wars and conflicts, as well as to holding regimes like Iran to account.

Mr Martin said Iran had sponsored terror across the world, citing its support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the Iranian regime had been “brutal and repressive”, but this did not give the US and Israel licence to break international law and engage in "military aggression".

Ms McDonald said the UN charter prevents the use of force unless it is self-defence, or with an authorisation from the UN, adding that neither is demonstrated in the US actions.

In response, Mr Martin said it is not being disputed that no UN mandate was sought, but added it is not possible to get peacekeeping missions approved by the UN Security Council.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik accused Mr Martin of “doublespeak”, saying that while he said he describes himself as a multilateralist, he criticises the UN.

Ms Bacik said the UN was “imperfect”, but it represents the “embodiment of the multilateral world order".

“In a fortnight, you’re going to genuflect before the man responsible for this global disorder and do so in the name of the people of Ireland, all without offering any principled criticism of Trump’s warmongering,” Ms Bacik said.

“Why can we not hear the Irish government condemning clearly the US-Israeli strikes as a breach of international law? There is, I think Taoiseach, a clear indication that you’re soft pedalling a national response in fear of upsetting Washington ahead of Patrick’s Day.” 

Mr Martin said St Patrick’s Day would “come and go”, but that Ireland’s relationship with the US is much “deeper and more substantial than that”.

In response to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, Mr Martin admitted that international law had not been adhered to for “quite some time by many, many actors”.

“There is an absence of an international rules-based order, and that is very dangerous for small nations like Ireland, who depend on the international rules-based order for our security.”