A motion calling for sanctions on Israel and to stop the use of Shannon Airport by US troops was defeated in the Dáil on Wednesday night.
People Before Profit had put forward the motion, while the Government put down a counter-motion which passed by 83 votes to 50.
It comes after Opposition motions calling for the withdrawal of the diplomatic status of the Israeli ambassador in Ireland and for the Government to refer the Israeli attacks in Gaza to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation were also comfortably defeated last week.
PBP TD Richard Boyd Barrett told the Tánaiste Micheál Martin earlier “we have blood on our hands for our shameful failure to stop this slaughter to date”.
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“I am appealing to you to take the action that is in your power and that you are required under the [Genocide] Convention to impose sanctions on Israel; on all of its ministers, ambassadors, and representatives,” he said.
“Take all other actions and sanctions necessary in order to prevent Israel committing and resuming the genocidal assault on Gaza that has caused such horrific, savage, barbaric death and destruction over the last five weeks.”
His party colleague, Paul Murphy, described Mr Martin’s recent visit to Israel as a “propaganda tour” and “a disgrace”.
Mr Murphy said it was “absolutely shameful” for Mr Martin, who is also the Minister for Foreign Affairs, to be participating in “such a propaganda tour while the assault on Gaza is ongoing”.
Mr Martin said 51 Irish citizens and dependents had now been assisted to leave Gaza via the Rafah crossing into Egypt by the Department of Foreign Affairs. He said Dáil motions didn’t “get these Irish citizens out of Gaza” and that diplomacy had.
“That’s the bottom line,” he said.
Mr Martin said a small number of Irish citizens remain in Gaza and that Ireland would continue to “work tirelessly” with the relevant authorities, which included Israel, “who have a huge say in terms of who leaves Gaza right now, whether you like it or not”.
“Getting rid of diplomatic channels would not in any way help to get Irish citizens out of Gaza or indeed their dependents,” he said.
The Tánaiste also said the Government was clear that no airport in Ireland, including Shannon, had been used to transfer weapons to the Middle East or to any other war.
“This policy is well-known and fully understood by our partners,” he said. “No applications have been received or exemptions granted in relation to civil aircraft travelling to Israel since the start of the current conflict.”
The Fianna Fáil leader said Mr Murphy had omitted to mention that he had also visited Egypt and the West Bank last week.
Mr Martin said this was part of a “broader disinformation campaign” that followed his visit, “which in itself was illustrative in terms of how people want either to undermine objectivity and impartiality and fair assessment of how we all approach this particular issue”.
Mr Martin said he regretted that Mr Murphy seemed to think visiting Kibbutz Be’eri, an area in southern Israel affected by the Hamas attack on October 7th, was “a propaganda visit”.
“It was anything of the sort,” he said.
“It was horrific what I saw there and I only saw the village destroyed and the neighbourhood destroyed. It is not wrong to do that and to visit that and your outrageous assertion that that represented a propaganda sort of exercise I think is incomprehensible, and shows a complete disregard for the loss of human life in respect of the Hamas attack on that particular neighbourhood, which I think is informative in itself.”
