Citing UN commission report accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, Ireland’s president says Israel and any countries selling arms to Israel should be excluded from the United Nations.

By World Israel News Staff

Ireland’s president has called for Israel to be expelled from the United Nations along with countries that sell arms to the Jewish state.

Irish President Michael Higgins addressed reporters Tuesday afternoon after a United Nations Human Rights Council’s commission of inquiry published a report accusing Israel of genocide in its war against the Hamas terror organization.

Higgins called the report a “very, very important document” and lauded the commission’s chairwoman, Navi Pillay, who is slated to resign from the three-member panel in November.

Citing the report’s claim that Israeli actions in Gaza qualify for four of the five genocidal actions laid out in the UN’s 1948 genocide convention, Higgins said the international community must take action to “stop this carnage” and the “slaughter of civilians.”

One specific step Higgins proposed to sanction Israel was its expulsion from the United Nations, along with the exclusion of any countries that sell arms to Israel.

“I believe myself that the kind of actions that are necessary now are the exclusion of those who are practicing genocide and those who are supporting genocide with armaments,” Higgins said.

“We must look at their exclusion from the United Nations itself, and we should have no hesitation any longer in relation to ending trade with people who are inflicting this at our fellow human beings.”

While Higgins did not name any countries to be excluded from the UN other than Israel, the United States is the largest supplier of military equipment to Israel, accounting for roughly two-thirds of all of Israel’s arms imports prior to the 2023 invasion by Hamas.

Despite plans by the European Commission to impose new sanctions on Israel, Higgins criticized the European Union’s stance on the Gaza war, accusing its members of “deciding to stay silent.”

“I believe the EU will find it extraordinarily difficult to ever be a union in any sense again when some of its strongest members are deciding to stay silent in watching emaciated children in what is a human, manmade, really atrocious infliction on people.”

Tuesday’s report drew sharp criticism not only from Israel, which called it “laundered” Hamas propaganda, but also from international Jewish groups, including the World Jewish Congress, which accused the UN commission of “politically biased work” and of promoting “antisemitic narratives.”

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Dublin says proposed trade ban aligns with international law; move sparks renewed diplomatic tensions with Israel.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

The Irish government has approved the drafting of legislation that would prohibit the import of goods originating in Israeli “settlements” located in Judea and Samaria—an unprecedented step for a European Union member state.

Foreign Minister and Tánaiste Simon Harris confirmed the Cabinet’s decision on Tuesday, framing the measure as a response to international legal obligations.

“The government has agreed to advance legislation prohibiting trade in goods with illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory [sic],” a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs told AFP, citing Ireland’s interpretation of international law.

The settlements targeted by the proposed law include residential, agricultural, and commercial enterprises situated outside what the Irish claim are Israel’s internationally recognized borders in Judea and Samaria.

The bill is expected to be sent to the Foreign Affairs Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny in the coming weeks, according to the Irish Times.

The measure builds on the long-debated so-called Occupied Territories Bill, first introduced by Independent Senator Frances Black in 2018.

That bill stalled amid legal concerns over its compatibility with EU trade regulations, but gained renewed momentum following the interpretation of the International Court of Justice’s 2023 advisory opinion that Israeli settlements violate international law.

Israel, which strongly rejects characterizations of its settlement activity as illegal, has sharply criticized the Irish initiative.

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated further in recent months, particularly since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in October 2023.

In response to Ireland’s increasingly vocal criticism of its military campaign, Israel announced the closure of its embassy in Dublin in December.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Ireland of applying double standards, dehumanizing Israel, and legitimizing Hamas narratives.

He also condemned comments by Irish President Michael D. Higgins, who has repeatedly denounced Israeli actions and recently drew controversial parallels between the war in Gaza and the Holocaust.

Sa’ar said in response, “Even on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Irish President Michael Higgins couldn’t help himself and resorted to a cheap, despicable provocation.”

Even on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Irish President Michael Higgins couldn’t help himself and resorted to a cheap, despicable provocation.

The biggest murderous attack against Jews since the Holocaust was perpetrated from Jihadist Gaza. Nonetheless, he echoed…

— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) January 26, 2025

Furthermore, Ireland’s May 2024 declaration, that, along with Spain and Norway, it would recognize a Palestinian state, has also done nothing to smooth relations between the two countries.

One year ago, Ireland formally recognised the State of Palestine.

We did so because we believe that the people of Palestine and the people of Israel both deserve to live in peace and security, side-by-side. pic.twitter.com/Ibk2iKA3U3

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) May 28, 2025

Harris has emphasized that the proposed trade ban is a “small measure” aimed at reinforcing international norms and pressuring all parties toward a ceasefire. “It is imperative for all countries to do all that we can to maximise the pressure and conditions to bring about a ceasefire,” he said.

The EU recently launched a review of its Association Agreement with Israel, a 1995 trade and cooperation deal. While Brussels has not announced formal sanctions, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a majority of member states backed the review as a potential pressure tool.

If passed, Ireland’s law would be the first of its kind in the EU, potentially placing it at odds with Brussels over the bloc’s exclusive authority on trade policy, and further complicating its diplomatic posture amid one of the world’s most polarizing conflicts.

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During his Holocaust Remembrance Day speech, Irish President Michael D. Higgins—who has previously been accused of making anti-Israel remarks—criticized Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, prompting Jewish attendees to defend the Jewish state, which ultimately led to their removal from the venue.

Anti-Semitic incident in Ireland: The President of Ireland attacked Israel regarding the war in Gaza in a speech he gave no less on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Jews and Israelis attending the ceremony protested his remarks and were violently removed… pic.twitter.com/c1d4RDSFdB

— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) January 26, 2025

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