Gerard P. Craughwell on shots fired over Irish diplomats
Gerard P. Craughwell condemned shots fired over the heads of Irish diplomats in Palestine and paid tribute to public servants who risk their lives in conflict zones. He described the intimidation of diplomats as abhorrent and urged a short parliamentary session with the Minister for Foreign Affairs to address the issue.
He recalled reports that shots were fired over the heads of Irish diplomats Salem and Lachlan and his crew in Palestine on the West Bank, calling the action intimidating and unacceptable. He said these diplomats visit refugee camps and work to ensure humanitarian aid reaches vulnerable populations, though aid is not getting through at the moment.
He referenced comments from Simon Harris about six truckloads sitting in Jordan unable to get in, while 14,000 children are at risk of losing their lives. He used those figures to underline the urgency of restoring safe humanitarian access and protecting aid workers and diplomats on the ground.
He paid tribute to members of the public service who, he said, put their lives at risk outside military service in regions affected by starvation and civil war. He emphasised that these public servants carry out vital humanitarian work in places beyond the West Bank and Palestine.
He proposed that when the Minister for Foreign Affairs appears before the house a short section should be arranged to deal specifically with the risks faced by diplomats and public servants. He closed by urging recognition and attention to those who risk their lives for others.
Incident in the West Bank
He recalled reports that shots were fired over the heads of Irish diplomats Salem and Lachlan and his crew in Palestine on the West Bank, calling the action intimidating and unacceptable. He said these diplomats visit refugee camps and work to ensure humanitarian aid reaches vulnerable populations, though aid is not getting through at the moment.
Humanitarian aid and children at risk
He referenced comments from Simon Harris about six truckloads sitting in Jordan unable to get in, while 14,000 children are at risk of losing their lives. He used those figures to underline the urgency of restoring safe humanitarian access and protecting aid workers and diplomats on the ground.
Public servants on the front line
He paid tribute to members of the public service who, he said, put their lives at risk outside military service in regions affected by starvation and civil war. He emphasised that these public servants carry out vital humanitarian work in places beyond the West Bank and Palestine.
Parliamentary follow-up requested
He proposed that when the Minister for Foreign Affairs appears before the house a short section should be arranged to deal specifically with the risks faced by diplomats and public servants. He closed by urging recognition and attention to those who risk their lives for others.
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Transcript
Acting Leader, frequently we talk about, and you would just as I do, members of the Defence Forces, particularly in places of danger like the service in the Lebanon. Rarely do we ever talk about members of our public service who put their lives at risk for their fellow man, and what we saw yesterday in the firing of shots over the heads of Irish diplomats, Salem and Lachlan and his crew out in Palestine, out on the West Bank. It is absolutely abhorrent that the Israelis would feel that they could intimidate diplomats in carrying out their duties. These are people who visit refugee camps, who make sure that humanitarian aid, not that there's any getting through at the moment. I heard this morning Simon Harris talk about six truckloads sitting in Jordan on able to get in while 14,000 children are at risk of losing their lives. But I want to pay particular tribute to those members of our public service who are not military, who put their lives at risk, not just in Palestine, not just on the West Bank, but in other countries where starvation is a fact of life. Other countries where civil war is a fact of life. Our public servants are out there on the ground doing a great job and I think we should probably, when we have the Minister for Foreign Affairs in here, we should probably lay out a short section to deal with that specific issue. Those who risked their lives for their fellow men. Thank you.