by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said there were “double standards” from the EU and some Western powers in relation to Israel and Palestine.
The Taoiseach said the stance of some Western countries in response to the Israel-Hamas war had “undermined the fight” to rally support for Ukraine as it battles the ongoing Russian invasion.
He said that neither Shannon Airport, nor any other Irish airport, was being used by the US military to support Israel.
“No. You have to get express permission to bring ammunition through any airport in Ireland and it has to be signed off by the Department for Transport and the Minister for Transport, and that's not happening,” the Taoiseach told RTE.
Mr Varadkar said he believed the Irish government had “matched our word” in terms of its stance on Israel and Palestine, and that other countries had adopted a “double-track” approach, but Ireland had not.
One of the concerns I have is that the double standards being applied by some countries in the West are actually undermining the struggle in Ukraine
Leo Varadkar
“I don't think that's true in relation to Ireland,” he told The Week in Politics.
“If they are saying this in relation to the European Union and some Western powers, I think they are right and I pointed this out at the Paris peace conference, that there cannot be two standards when it comes to the conflict. in Ukraine.
“When it comes to international humanitarian law, it must apply everywhere.
“One of the concerns I have is that the double standards implemented by some countries in the West are actually undermining the struggle in Ukraine.
“Because one of the things I've worked very hard on, and European leaders are working very hard on, is to win support for Ukraine across the global south – from Africa, from Latin America, from Asia – telling them that what is happening in Ukraine is a war of aggression, it is an imperialist war.
“Unfortunately, some of the double standards we have seen from many Western powers have undermined this struggle.”
The Taoiseach was speaking as thousands of pro-Palestine protesters marched through Dublin city and staged a sit-in outside the Foreign Office.
The government has confirmed that 50 Irish citizens and their dependents have left Gaza in recent days as part of international efforts to evacuate people with foreign passports.
Some Irish citizens from Gaza arrived from Cairo at Dublin Airport this weekend.
