Middle East conflict - Time for EU to act in ceasefire bid

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern adopted a firm stance in relation to the Israeli attack on the United Nations observer post in which four UN troops were killed this week.

He described himself as appalled by the deaths and strongly contemned the “reckless and disproportionate force” being used by Israel.

It was providence that one or more of the 17 Irish peacekeepers serving in UNFIL were not killed.

Lieutenant Colonel John Molloy telephoned the Israelis six different times to warn that their shelling was perilously close to the UN post, but his warnings went unheeded, and a subsequent strike killed four UN officers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland.

The conflict has always been about much more than seeking the return of the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers and it is absurd for anybody to suggest that Israel has engaged mainly in surgical strikes against Hezbollah. Bombing the runways at Beirut airport had nothing to do with Hezbollah.

While Hezbollah deliberately provoked the Israelis, this is not part of a global struggle against terrorism.

Indeed, it has developed into state-sponsored terrorism, effectively supported by Britain and the United States.

Most of the more than 400 people killed have been Lebanese civilians and a fifth of the people of Lebanon have already been displaced. At the same time, the

Israelis have had at least 50 people killed. In one sense, their actions have been counter-productive, in that they have enhanced the credibility of Hezbollah among Arab people and the Muslim community as a whole.

The lack of proportionality in the Israeli campaign had made a mockery of international law and justice. The Taoiseach’s support for “an immediate cessation of hostilities” has been a measured response in the circumstance.

The Government’s first responsibility was to look after the lives of Irish citizens. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, and his department deserve credit for the magnificent way in which they handled the speedy evacuation of Irish citizens from the Lebanon.

This became particularly apparent in the following days with the delays and difficulties that the British experienced in getting their citizens out.

There is no point in grandstanding with mere empty rhetoric, as this country does not have sufficient political or economic clout to make a real difference on its own.

But Mr Ahern can make a difference within the EU by persuading our partners to act in a meaningful way to back up their earlier call for an immediate ceasefire.

With the support of the United States and Britain, the Israelis have ignored international calls for a prompt cessation of hostilities. They have behaved as if they have a right to continue with their brand of terrorism as long as they wish.

It is no longer enough merely to call for an immediate ceasefire, it is time the EU demonstrated that it is serious. The UN and the international community are being ignored. The EU should demonstrate that it has political and diplomatic clout.