Helen McEntee says it is important that diplomatic channels remain open during conflict in Gaza

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said diplomatic channels must remain open and be engaged during the crisis in Gaza, rejecting calls from the Opposition to expel the Israeli ambassador.

“If we want to ensure that our diplomatic channels remain open, we need to make sure that we continue to engage with all diplomatic channels,” Ms McEntee said.

Speaking in Dublin on Monday, the Minister said she would have no issue with the Israeli ambassador, Dana Erlich, attending the next Fine Gael ardfheis, after Opposition TDs criticised her presence alongside other ambassadors at Fianna Fáil’s ardfheis over the weekend.

Sinn Féin has called for the expulsion of the ambassador, which the Government has rejected. Ms Erlich attended the Fianna Fáil ardfheis at the weekend along with 50 other members of the diplomatic corps. The Palestinian ambassador was also present.

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Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence Matt Carthy said: “Sinn Féin will not be inviting the Israeli ambassador to our ardfheis as we do not believe it is appropriate for any political party to offer a civic welcome to a representative of a government that is engaged in a ferocious military offensive against a civilian population and that is breaking international law by targeting civilians, destroying civilian infrastructure, forcing mass population displacement and cutting off vital supplies of water, food, medicines and fuel.

[ Israel-Hamas war: More than 10,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli military, says Hamas-controlled health ministry ]

“Neither have we invited the Russian ambassador due to that state’s illegal invasion of, and ongoing aggression against, Ukraine in breach of international law.”

Fine Gael holds a special conference this month, which ambassadors do not attend, and its next ardfheis is in April 2024.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has rejected the suggestion that his criticism of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza may have antagonised the Israeli government and damaged the chances of getting Irish citizens trapped in Gaza out to safety.

Mr Varadkar said that he did not regret observing that Israel’s response to the Hamas attack on its citizens on October 7th “resembles something more approaching revenge” and he did not believe it had any impact on the Irish government’s efforts to get Irish citizens out of Gaza.

“No, I don’t believe so, we have no indication that’s the case,” he said when asked if he felt if his comments had damaged diplomatic relations with the Israeli government.

“There are I think some around eight or nine thousand citizens of foreign countries and maybe more than that who are in Gaza. And obviously we’re working with various different authorities, particularly at the UN and others to try to ensure that our citizens who want to leave can leave as soon as possible.

“We’ll see how it develops over the next couple of days and weeks but paramount on top of our mind all the time are Irish citizens who are trapped or held in Gaza for any reason. We’re engaging with the Israeli authorities but also the UN and the Egyptian government and other governments in the region.”

Mr Varadkar wouldn’t be drawn on the plight of eight year Irish-Israeli child Emily Hand who now appears to have been kidnapped rather than killed by Hamas fighters when they attacked Israel on October 7th. But he said the government was determined to assist all Irish citizens caught in the conflict.

“For understandable reasons I don’t want to comment in any individual case but there are around 40 Irish citizens in Gaza and we’re doing our best to get them out. We’re doing that through contact with Israeli authorities but also with governments in the area such as Egypt and Jordan. And the Tanaiste has been in touch with the Iranian authorities too, so very much top of our mind at the moment are Irish citizens held in Ghazi for one reason or another, it is very much a priority for us to do anything we can to facilitate their release.”

Earlier, Ms McEntee said that the Government continues to engage at all levels with Israel. “Let’s be very clear here: you cannot call for every diplomatic channel available to us to be used to support Irish citizens and then, in the same breath, call for ambassadors to be expelled. It doesn’t work, that’s not how diplomacy works. We need to keep those channels open,” she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Monday.

Ms McEntee was speaking to reporters at Dublin Port on Monday at the launch of the third national strategy to combat human trafficking.

She said prosecutions for human trafficking in Ireland are too low as she announced plans for victim-centred measures for dealing with the crime and encouraging people to come forward and seek help from State authorities.

The Department of Justice has said a new national referral mechanism within the strategy will make it easier for victims to come forward and access support. The mechanism allows for trusted partners in the NGO sector, or for other State agencies, to make referrals when a concern emerges around a potential case of human trafficking.

She said the strategy would involve multiple State bodies and agencies, not just policing and security functions, but would draw from the Department of Health, the HSE, the Department of Social Protection and others.

Ms McEntee said it was “extremely disappointing” that Ireland had been put on a watch list for its efforts on human trafficking by the US State Department, which she said was solely because of a belief that significant numbers of people had been trafficked within the Irish fishing industry, which she said the State disputes. Ireland has been removed from the watch list but remains on the second tier of the State Department’s assessments.

[ Protection from deportation among new measures to combat human trafficking ]

Ms McEntee also urged Irish people to be vigilant about what they read and believe online in advance of local and European elections due to be held next year. It comes after the Irish Government was warned by the US of potential attempts by Russia to interfere in upcoming elections.

“I think that’s always a risk,” she said. “We’ve seen this in other jurisdictions, whether it’s one particular country or any others, we have to be mindful of that,” she said, pointing to new cyber security structures that have been established to assess threats such as hacking or disinformation, which have “large implications for democracy”.