PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins has said “collective punishment is not something we can accept” in the conflict in the Middle East.

He called for finding a “space for diplomacy” to deliver “reasonable security” to Israel and at the same time deliver for the “long-neglected rights” of the Palestinians.

In a fresh statement on the war, Higgins spoke of the need for “verification about facts” around the conflict, as well as warning against the “enlistment of civilians for military purposes” which he said needed to be recognised and addressed.

It is the first time the president’s office has issued a statement about the war. Previously, he addressed questions from reporters on aspects of the conflict, including calling the blast at the al-Ahli Hospital in Northern Gaza to be investigated as a war crime.

In the statement, Higgins repeated calls for a ceasefire, the removal of “all blocks to humanitarian relief” and expressed dismay over the “horrific loss” of civilian life in Gaza and Israel.

“If we are to move past the present events, we need the capacity to verify what are the facts on the ground and to respond to them,” Higgins said.

Touching on the European Union, Higgins warned that any international bodies who may “remain silent or allow their messages to have ambiguous construction”, and reminded them of a “responsibility to commit to vindicating international law” in its response to the war in Gaza and Israel.

Statement by President Higgins on ongoing violence in the Middle East https://t.co/FaQgXaJJpY

— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) November 2, 2023

The president also criticised “violence by non-State as well as State actors”, adding: [They] must be described for what it is – breaches of international humanitarian law.”

Regarding the enlistment of civilians for military aims, he said this occurrence “on any side” has to be addressed.

“It is simply unacceptable that hospitals and those being cared for within them are threatened by the basic lack of resources, damaged or indeed threated with destruction, or those within them forced to be evacuated,” Higgins said.

He said: “In this terrible ongoing loss of civilian life, that is having such a devastating impact on families on all sides, with the large proportion of those killed being women and children, it is important that there be a verification of figures, that the lives lost are not reduced to competing press releases.”

Higgins added: “Those in the international community who are anxious to support international law, see it vindicated in its fullest sense, including the Geneva Convention, must press for an independent verification of the facts.”

Protection of children

The president that no other issues “should stand in the way for even a minute” When it comes to the protection of children.

He added that he is proud of Irish NGOs who are responding to the “present horror” that is unfolding in Gaza, praising their courage and humanity in the worst of circumstances.

“One can only admire the extraordinary courage and commitment of the medical personnel who, while enduring unimaginable difficulties, are staying with those for whom they care, putting their own lives at risk,” Higgins continued.

“That so many members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), including teachers, have already lost their lives in that task illustrates the terrible price that threatening civilians with terror, war and its response delivers.”