Politics

Leo Varadkar must urge Biden to press Israel on ceasefire, Mary Robinson says

Chair of Elders says Taoiseach must ‘deliver a political message in a very direct way’ while in the US

Former president of Ireland Mary Robinson said the US government should get Israel to accept a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Marie O'Halloran
Fri Mar 15 2024 - 15:36

Former president Mary Robinson has urged Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to use his meeting on Friday with US president Joe Biden to “deliver a political message in a very direct way” and influence Israel to implement a ceasefire and open up Gaza to allow aid to get in.

She said the US government should also get Israel to accept a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.

Ms Robinson said Mr Biden “may just have to comply with American law”.

“There is American law that says arms should not be provided to a country that is blocking US aid. Israel is blocking US aid at the moment to Palestine,” Ms Robinson said.

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She stressed that the “government of prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is on the wrong side of history completely, making the United States complicit in reducing the people to famine, making the world complicit”.

In a very pointed message as chair of the Elders, a group of global leaders, Ms Robinson said “I want to deliver on behalf of the Elders a direct message to our Taoiseach Leo Varadkar”.

Mr Varadkar should “not spend too much time on the dire humanitarian situation” because everyone knew what it was like.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s News at One, Ms Robinson said: “Leo Varadkar has access today to president [Joe] Biden and he will have access during the next few days and give the shamrock on Sunday.

[ ‘There will be differences of opinions’: Varadkar brings clear message on Gaza to US ]

“He must use this completely politically at all levels, with the speaker of the House [of Representatives], with everyone to make it clear that Israel depends on the United States for military aid for money.

“That’s what will change everything. We need a ceasefire and we need the opening up of Gaza with every avenue, mainly land avenues for aid to get in, because the situation is so bad.

“And we need the political will, the way forward, which is the two-state solution and we need the Israeli government agreeing to that.”

Mr Varadkar had to urge Mr Biden to stop the arms supply and “stop the money”.

“I want the political message from the Taoiseach and from Irish representatives to be very clear,” Ms Robinson said, calling for an indefinite ceasefire and a move to the two-state solution.

“This cannot happen I think under prime minister Netanyahu. He seems very opposed to the idea.”

She believed that if Mr Biden took a “direct political step” that “they’re not going to provide any more military support, they’re not going to provide any more budgetary support at the moment for Israel until this government changes course or there’s a new government to change course, that will help concentrate on a ceasefire”.

The Taoiseach is meeting Mr Biden in the Oval office for the traditional presentation of the bowl of shamrock and a private meeting with a number of items on the agenda including the war in Gaza, the Ukrainian war, Northern Ireland and the economy.

“The United States can influence Israel by not continuing to provide arms. It has provided a lot of the arms, bombs and other arms that have been used on the Palestinian people and is continuing to do that. It is also providing money,” Ms Robinson said

“Now is the time to call in a marker and say very directly to president Biden – he may not be hearing this enough from his own people because they’re worried about American politics – he has to say to him take the risk of the politics fallout of this election or else he will lose whatever credibility he has.”

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran

Marie O'Halloran is Parliamentary Correspondent of The Irish Times

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