Taoiseach tells UN the world will be shamed when 'true horrors' of Gaza are fully revealed

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN used his address at the UN General Assembly this year to highlight the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and to also draw attention to human rights violations in other parts of the world. 

In a wide-ranging speech, the Taoiseach reaffirmed Ireland’s support of Ukraine against Russia, called out the rollback of women’s rights and LGBTQ rights in parts of the world, and drew attention to what he described as the “forgotten war” in Sudan.

He also spoke of Ireland’s support for Lebanon and said Iran must “cease its attacks on its neighbours” and stop its strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Taoiseach also used his UN address to voice Ireland’s support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has been repeatedly undermined by US President Donald Trump, who told the UN earlier this week that the court was “evil”. 

His strongest lines were delivered towards the end of his speech, when he spoke about Gaza as well as Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank.

While he welcomed the US-led peace plan agreed last October, he made the point that the reality on the ground for Gazans has not changed, as Israeli strikes continue and humanitarian aid remains blocked.

“Civilians continue to suffer. We, the collective international community, have failed Palestine,” he told the 81st General Assembly in New York. 

Although he did not use the word genocide during his remarks, despite previously referring to it as one, he did criticise Benjamin Netanyahu directly, telling the UN delegates that the Israeli prime minister was deliberately attempting to make the prospect of a two-state solution impossible.

He received a round of applause, led by the Palestinian delegation in the chamber after he said:

“When the full truth of what has happened – what is still happening – in Gaza is finally known, when the evidence is gathered, when the testimonies are heard, when the true horrors are finally and fully revealed, it will shame the world.

“Nobody will be able to say that we did not know.

“Let it not be said that we did not act.”

Turning to Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank, the Taoiseach said it amounted to ethnic cleansing, and that the “relentless expansion of settlements has reached a scale without precedent”.

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“Violent settlers continue to act with near-total impunity, while Palestinian communities face a sustained campaign of displacement and destruction – amounting to ethnic cleansing,” he said. 

The Taoiseach’s speech was delivered shortly before 8 pm local time in New York (1 am Irish time) on day three of the annual assembly of 130 world leaders.

Each country’s representative is given 15 minutes to make their speech, but no time limit is imposed if they run over – the Taoiseach, unlike a lot of world leaders, stuck to his. 

Earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu’s address prompted a mass walkout from the UN hall in protest over his military campaigns against Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Qatar, Yemen and Iran.

Irish delegates did not participate in the walkout, with the Department of Foreign Affairs explaining that Ireland maintains a presence for each leader’s speech, regardless of whether the Irish State agrees with what is being said or not. 

Martin also highlighted the rollback of women’s rights in parts of the globe, noting that the situation in Afghanistan is the “clearest example” of this. 

Earlier this week, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee represented Ireland in a discussion with education campaigner Malala Yousafzai on the rollback of women’s rights under the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2021, where girls are no longer permitted to go to secondary school and child marriage has been essentially legalised.

The Taoiseach also used his speech to reaffirm Ireland’s commitment to human rights, noting that “across the world, LGBTQI+ people face growing threats to their rights, safety and dignity”.

He took the opportunity to pitch Ireland’s election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2027–2029 term and said that if elected, Ireland would use the seat to defend the principle that “human rights belong to everyone everywhere”.

He concluded his speech by thanking outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his “principled leadership” and “steadfast commitment” to the United Nations over the past decade. 

“I especially commend his courage in tackling the climate crisis, the fundamental issue of our time,” the Taoiseach said. 

His address marked the end of his itinerary at this year’s UN General Assembly, with the Taoiseach returning to Ireland after the speech on the government jet.

This year’s assembly was one dominated by the wars and conflicts that are ongoing across the globe, discussions about the existential threat posed by climate change, as well as concerns and warnings around the rise of artificial intelligence (or ‘superintelligence’ if Trump gets his way).