TDs and senators call on minister to ensure Ireland is not 'complicit in arming Israel'
A total of 67 TDs and Senators are calling for Eamon Ryan to use his powers to block such planes from entering Irish airspace. File photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire
A group of more than 60 TDs and senators have called on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to ensure that no flights carrying weapons to Israel are routed through Irish airspace.
The letter, signed by members Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, and People Before Profit, as well as independent TDs and senators, is calling for Ireland to not be "complicit in arming Israel".
While flights carrying weapons are normally prohibited from using Irish airspace, Mr Ryan is able to use existing statutory instruments to grant airplanes with munitions passage. A total of 67 TDs and Senators are calling for Mr Ryan to use his powers to block such planes from entering Irish airspace.
"It is entirely in the gift of the Minister to deny passage to any flight carrying munitions," the letter reads, adding that previous Transport Ministers have used these powers.
"We therefore ask that you commit publicly to using your ministerial discretion to deny exemptions to all flights carrying munitions destined for Israel, or where the end use is Israel. We ask that you make this commitment immediately and for an indefinite duration."
Over the weekend, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed that Shannon Airport is not being used as a hub to arm Israel with weapons.
"You have to receive express permission to bring munitions through any airport in Ireland, and they have to be signed off on by the Department of Transport and that has not happened. Shannon is not [being used to facilitate this war] or any war,” he told RTÉ’s The Week in Politics.
While the TDs and senators welcomed the confirmation from Mr Varadkar, they say more can be done to “ensure that Ireland is not complicit in breaches of international law”.
In particular, the letter says that the Government is not taking enough care to vet flights that are carrying weapons, citing recent PQs from Independent TD Thomas Pringle that detail how no inspections have taken place.
“In this context, if you are not already doing so, we must urge you to review the department’s current policy and to ensure information is required on the final destination, purpose, and end user of all munitions being carried,” the letter reads.
“Only then will it be possible for you to refuse all munitions flights to Israel. We ask that you commit to implementing a system of inspection of such flights, and to outline at the earliest opportunity how this system will operate."
