World will reflect on Gaza conflict as ‘time of dark shame’ – Taoiseach

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

The world has not done enough to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, the Taoiseach has said.

Simon Harris called for an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement as he said human rights clauses in the trade pact were being breached.

Mr Harris warned that the world would look back on the conflict as a “time of dark shame”.

The Taoiseach said he asked himself “every single day” what more the Irish Government could do.

Speaking in Dublin on Tuesday, he said: “I find the scenes that are happening in the Middle East to be grotesque and almost unimaginable in terms of the scale of catastrophe.

“I’ve called it a war on children, I believe it to be that. The actions of Israel are utterly disproportionate.

“I’m also very conscious when it comes to things like trade, that is done at an EU level.

“To be clear, I do not believe the world, the European Union, has done enough to bring about a ceasefire.

“I believe when we look back at this period of time, it will be a time of dark shame for the world.

“Because there are levers that could be pulled at the European level that have not yet been pulled.”

Mr Harris said there was more that the European Union could do immediately, adding there are “levers that could be pulled”.

He said he and the prime ministers of Spain and Slovenia were calling for the EU-Israel Association Agreement to be reviewed.

Mr Harris said: “I hope other colleagues will join us should these talks not progress in the hours and days ahead. That is a very practical measure that we can take.

“What message do we send out to the world when we have human rights clauses in trade association agreements that don’t seem to kick in?

“I mean, they’re not there just to make the document longer – they have to have meaning.”

Asked if the agreement should be suspended outright, Mr Harris said the process was that the agreement first needed to be reviewed.

However, he added: “You’re hardly going to review the agreement and find that it is in compliance with human rights.”