Paul Murphy: Alleges Weapons Are Flowing Through Irish Airspace
Paul Murphy challenged the Tánaiste over alleged weapons shipments transiting Irish sovereign airspace to Israel and demanded immediate government action. He offered to hand over airline waybills and named carriers and cargo - including F-35 components, munitions marked ITAR, and other arms - and accused the Tánaiste of denying or downplaying the evidence.
He accused the government of allowing thousands of tonnes of weaponry to flow through Irish sovereign airspace since October 2023 without permission. He listed items allegedly transported - F-35 combat jet components, munitions from Lockheed Martin and IMI systems, missile launchers, Smith & Wesson handguns, ammunition primer, detonators, detonating fuses and tear gas - and named carriers including Lufthansa, Delta Airlines, FedEx, Challenge, Silkway Airlines and LL. He said the flows are criminal offences carrying a three-year prison sentence for the owner or hirer of the aircraft.
He said airline waybills have been supplied to the Tánaiste and cited a FedEx receipt flagged as ITAR (International Trade in Arms Regulations). He referenced a 23 October notice that FedEx flight FDX4 from Memphis to Cologne was carrying at least three munitions of war destined for Nevitim IDF airbase, described as Lockheed Martin F-35 components. He argued the F-35 is used by the IDF to kill civilians, including journalists in Gaza, and questioned why the government claims not to know or does not believe the airline declarations.
He recalled the air navigation carriage of munitions of war weapons and dangerous goods orders of 1973 and 1989, saying they expressly prohibit civil aircraft carrying munitions in Irish sovereign territory without an exemption from the minister for transport. He accused the Tánaiste of offering inconsistent statements - telling the Dáil no weapons were transported through Irish airspace, saying on television he did not believe it, and later claiming limited knowledge - and described that pattern as gaslighting.
He called for better surveillance of what happens above Irish skies and below its seas and criticised those who oppose increasing defence monitoring capabilities, referencing the capability Oglignar Heron. He framed the issue in humanitarian terms - warning of famine, deaths and bombed hospitals in Gaza - and contrasted Ireland's international reputation for supporting international law and a two-state solution with what he described as a failure to act domestically.
Claims of weapons shipments through Irish airspace
He accused the government of allowing thousands of tonnes of weaponry to flow through Irish sovereign airspace since October 2023 without permission. He listed items allegedly transported - F-35 combat jet components, munitions from Lockheed Martin and IMI systems, missile launchers, Smith & Wesson handguns, ammunition primer, detonators, detonating fuses and tear gas - and named carriers including Lufthansa, Delta Airlines, FedEx, Challenge, Silkway Airlines and LL. He said the flows are criminal offences carrying a three-year prison sentence for the owner or hirer of the aircraft.
Waybill evidence and ITAR designation
He said airline waybills have been supplied to the Tánaiste and cited a FedEx receipt flagged as ITAR (International Trade in Arms Regulations). He referenced a 23 October notice that FedEx flight FDX4 from Memphis to Cologne was carrying at least three munitions of war destined for Nevitim IDF airbase, described as Lockheed Martin F-35 components. He argued the F-35 is used by the IDF to kill civilians, including journalists in Gaza, and questioned why the government claims not to know or does not believe the airline declarations.
Legal framework and accusations of denial
He recalled the air navigation carriage of munitions of war weapons and dangerous goods orders of 1973 and 1989, saying they expressly prohibit civil aircraft carrying munitions in Irish sovereign territory without an exemption from the minister for transport. He accused the Tánaiste of offering inconsistent statements - telling the Dáil no weapons were transported through Irish airspace, saying on television he did not believe it, and later claiming limited knowledge - and described that pattern as gaslighting.
Calls for monitoring and international context
He called for better surveillance of what happens above Irish skies and below its seas and criticised those who oppose increasing defence monitoring capabilities, referencing the capability Oglignar Heron. He framed the issue in humanitarian terms - warning of famine, deaths and bombed hospitals in Gaza - and contrasted Ireland's international reputation for supporting international law and a two-state solution with what he described as a failure to act domestically.
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Transcript
Children are starving, basic pain-killing medicine cannot be accessed, hospitals are being bombed and the scale of death and destruction in Gaza is almost unimaginable, certainly unconscionable. Famine is a real risk for many Gazans, children are even dying as we speak. We cannot and will not stand idly by and let this happen. Your words, Taunashta. But standing by is exactly what you are doing in relation to the thousands of tonnes of weaponry flowing through Irish airspace, sovereign airspace since October 2023 to the Israeli military. F-35 combat jet components, munitions from Lockheed Martin and IMI systems, missile launchers, Smith & Wesson handguns, ammunition primer, detonator, detonating fuses, tear gas, I could go on. Multiple airlines doing it repeatedly, Lufthansa, Delta Airlines, FedEx, Challenge, Silkway Airlines, LL. They are flowing without permission from the Irish state. It is a criminal offence which carries a three-year prison sentence for the owner or hirer of the aircraft. But you are not just turning a blind eye to it, you are gaslighting us about it. You told the Dáil last June that no Irish sovereign airspace is being used to transport weapons to the conflict in the Middle East. Last Friday, on the Late Late Show, you said you do not believe that Irish skies are being used to transport weapons to Israel. Now you tell the Dáil that it is hard to have the level of knowledge that we need to have about these. How can you say these things, Taunashta? The Ditch has informed you that I am very happy to pass over a folder of waybills from the airlines themselves. We do not need to investigate it. The airlines themselves are declaring their carrying weapons and these have been sent to you repeatedly, Taunashta, not just after the fact but in advance of the fact. One of the receipts here from FedEx clearly listing the tracking number and flagging it as ITAR goods, that is International Trade in Arms Regulations. On 23 October last year, the Ditch emailed this to you and they told you we wish to advise you that FedEx flight FDX4 from Memphis to Cologne is carrying at least three munitions of war packages for delivery to Nevitim IDF airbase in Israel. This aircraft departed Memphis just over an hour ago and its flight plan indicates it will enter Irish sovereign airspace this afternoon. FedEx has designated the three packages which we understand are Lockheed Martin F-35 combat jet components as ITAR goods. The F-35 is a weapon of war used by the IDF to kill civilians, including journalists in Gaza. So you know about it, you know about it. Why do you say you do not believe it is happening? Are you claiming you have not received this evidence? Or are you saying you have received this evidence but you think the airlines are somehow for some reason lying about having weapons and munitions on their planes? Are you going to act or are you going to keep saying the world needs to act, we need to do more, we cannot stand idly by, and then continue to precisely stand idly by while weapons go through Irish airspace to be used for a genocide? I think this is probably the only parliament in the world where members of the parliament stand up and suggest that the Irish government's position is anything other than supportive of the people of Palestine. I mean it's usually quite the opposite in fact, it's usually when in any of us who attend international meetings and fora, it's usually that Ireland is seen as almost an outlier, worryingly perhaps, in terms of our level of support for international law, for human rights, for the people of Palestine, for a two-state solution, and in calling out, as our Taoiseach did, the war crimes being committed by Israel. So then you come in here and you just get a completely different representation. Ireland isn't standing idly by, and you quoted my words I think of this Tuesday, Ireland is not standing idly by, Ireland have already outlined even more steps that this country intends to take both domestically and internationally in relation to supporting the people of Palestine, but more profoundly in terms of supporting international law and human rights, and we continue to do that and will continue to do that at every opportunity. You said I said something there as though I said it new, I also said it on Friday night in the interview that you referenced as well, that we do need to have a better understanding and better knowledge as to what happens above our skies and indeed below our seas. I find it somewhat ironic that the deputy who raises this issue is the same deputy who would oppose any increase in defence spending to increase the capabilities of Oglignar Heron in terms of monitoring what happens in our skies and below our seas, because that is exactly what we need to do. I know you are having difficulty this week, you will not take questions from some journalists, and I know when you ask me a question, you will not allow me to answer it, so do not take questions from some and you do not accept answers from others. In relation to this situation, I have made it very clear what Irish law does state. As a government minister, as a leader in government, we obviously rely on the laws of our land, and the laws are very clear in relation to the air navigation carriage of munitions of war weapons and dangerous goods orders of 1973 and 1989 that expressly prohibits for civil aircraft to carry munitions of war in Irish sovereign territory without being granted an exemption to do so by the Minister for Transport. I have also made the point, though, that it is one thing about what people wish to inspect when it is on the ground. When a plane is at 30,000, 35,000 feet in the air, I would be very interested in hearing from you, your practical and implementable solutions in terms of what warming can do. I do not say that, by the way, in any flippant way, because let me be very clear, I do think we need to do more on this. I do think we need to see change internationally in relation to this. I do think this being dictated from international covenants and agreements of the 1940s does not reflect the reality today. I also think we need to have better clarity and understanding around munitions and parts and absolute clarity as to what needs to be declared, because the law of this country is clear, the law of this country is robust in terms of Irish sovereign airspace. But then there's also the practicalities in terms of the implementation. So there is work going on in the Department of Transport. Minister Daryl O'Brien confirmed that to me again as recently as this morning, in terms of what more measures Ireland needs to take in relation to our own law, or indeed what more measures Ireland needs to seek to take internationally. Mr Murphy. This studied, deliberate, false ignorance, pretending you don't know what's going on, suggesting we need to have what aircraft to go and inspect commercial airlines in the plane, in the sky over Ireland, what are you suggesting? Again, it's very, very simple. I'm really happy to give these to you, Tánishta. Weigh bills. Weigh bills from the aircraft, repeatedly, showing that thousands of tonnes of weaponry have gone through Irish airspace on the way to be used in a genocide in Gaza. This is not a mystery. The airlines admit it. A few months ago, the last government had some sort of examination in the Department of Transport. What happened to that examination? You want to know my practical solution? My practical solution is that the Minister for Transport should prosecute the companies. It's the law. They are currently breaking the law. Or I'll give you another suggestion which actually came from now Taoiseach. Michal Martin said last September that there had to be consequences for airlines to do this, that they shouldn't be allowed to fly through our airspace if they violate these basic laws. Do you agree with that? Are you going to act to stop Silkway, to stop Challenge, to stop Delta, to stop Lufthansa continuing to fly? We actually need action. Would you like me to drop these over to you, the emails and stuff, so that you have them? Do you need them? Thank you very much for that. Obviously, the process to which government will go through is examining the allegations. The Department of Transport is examining them. I do agree that any breaches of Irish law must, of course, have consequence. Irish law matters. I am very clear in relation to that, as is the Taoiseach, as is the Minister for Transport. If there have been breaches of Irish sovereign law, decisions will need to be taken on the next steps, based on clear and robust evidence. I think we also need to be clear here, and this is the point I was trying to make, that if existing legislation does not provide for the implementation of a system of routine and random inspections and rather it requires that there first be an appearance of intention or likelihood for a civil aircraft to depart from a point in the state in a manner that would contravene the legislation, for example, carrying munitions. I think it is a legitimate question for government to now consider whether we need to amend our own domestic legislation and whether more needs to happen internationally. I am very clear that any breaches of Irish law cannot be consequence-free. The Department of Transport will carry out and is carrying out a robust examination of all of these matters and then will advise government on what next steps are required. Thank you.