There has been an angry reaction from the Government to an incident where the Israeli military fired shots at an international delegation that included two Irish diplomats.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “deeply shocked and horrified that the Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] today opened fire on a group of diplomats visiting the town of Jenin.
“Thankfully, nobody was killed or injured.”
He condemned what he described as “this aggressive, intimidatory and violent act”, adding: “This is not and must never be a normal way to behave.”
Mr Martin added: “We, and the international community, will be demanding answers from Israel on exactly how this came to happen and will seek assurances that this will never happen again.”
Diplomats from the European Union as well as the UK, China, Russia and other countries were part of the delegation visiting the West Bank city.
Ireland’s representative in Palestine Feilim McLaughlin and his deputy Sorcha Lowry were among the diplomats on the visit to Jenin.
None of the international delegation were hurt.
The IDF said “warning shots” were fired after the group strayed from an approved route.
The Irish Times understands a senior Department of Foreign Affairs official has this evening delivered a démarche - a type of formal diplomatic reprimand - over the incident to Ambassador Dana Erlich, Israel’s non-resident ambassador to Ireland.
As part of this, concern was expressed for the safety of Irish personnel and the ambassador was informed Ireland regards the incident to be a clear breach of obligations under international law with regards to the protection of diplomats.
It is understood the ambassador was informed that what had happened should not be characterised as an “inconvenience”, as it had been referred to by the IDF when it expressed regret for “the inconvenience caused”.
The ambassador was asked to register with Israeli authorities Ireland’s fullest possible condemnation of the incident and that a full explanation of what had happened be provided.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said the shots were fired just as the delegation was about to depart.
He said: “The Israeli Defense Forces fired what they’re describing as warning shots in their direction.
“This is utterly reprehensible, utterly unacceptable by any measure.
“Threats to diplomats’ lives and security is not acceptable. We’ve conveyed this in the strongest possible terms to the Israeli ambassador today.”
He also said: “We don’t want mealy-mouthed apologies from Israel in relation to this. We want to know how this happened, a full investigation and those responsible within the Israel Defense Forces held to account.”
On the Israeli suggestion that the delegation had strayed off an approved route, Mr Harris said: “What we don’t need is any sort of whataboutery here.
“The Israel Defense Forces fired shots in the direction of diplomats including two diplomats from Ireland. That is utterly unacceptable.”
He said the IDF would have been aware of the visit.
Mr Harris also said: “I understand that there has been an apology issued by Israel but that’s not what we want. What we want here is accountability as to how this happened today.”
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said she had heard about the incident which happened on a visit by diplomats organised by the Palestinian Authority.
“We definitely call on Israel to investigate this incident and also hold those accountable who are responsible for this and any threats on diplomats’ lives,” she said.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry said a Spaniard was among the group of diplomats, who was unhurt.
“We are in contact with other affected countries to jointly co-ordinate a response to what happened, which we strongly condemn,” it said in a statement.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X that Israel’s ambassador to Rome would be summoned to explain.
Footage on Israeli television showed individuals running to vehicles with diplomatic licence plates as shots were heard in the distance.
The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry said “the delegation was undertaking an official mission to observe and assess the humanitarian situation and document the ongoing violations perpetrated by” Israel. The ministry called the Israeli military’s actions a violation of international law.
The Israeli military has killed dozens of Palestinians and destroyed many homes in the West Bank since it launched an operation in January in the city of Jenin to root out militants. – Additional reporting: Reuters and Bloomberg
