Sanctions against Israel not ‘off the table’, Tánaiste warns as he accuses Israeli officials of ignoring international courts

It comes after an attack on Rafah in which dozens of people were killed at a camp for displaced people.

It followed a Hamas rocket attack on Tel Aviv.

Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah.

Ireland, Norway and Spain will formally recognise Palestinian statehood on Tuesday.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Brussels, Micheál Martin said the move was in search of a “fundamental paradigm shift” between a peaceful two-state solution to the conflict.

He added: “Some have framed our decision to recognise the state of Palestine as a move to impose an outcome on the parties or as somehow a reward for terror.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. We have recognised both the State of Israel and the state of Palestine precisely because we want to see a future of normalised relations between the two peoples.”

Mr Martin said there can be no military solution to the conflict as he criticised any group using violence or terrorism to eliminate the state of Israel or Palestine.

He said: “I condemn the violence of yesterday. The rockets that were struck at Tel Aviv and the heinous attack on the Rafah tent refugee camp where innocent children and civilians were killed.”

He added: “What we witnessed last night is barbaric. Gaza is a very small enclave, densely populated conurbation.

“One cannot bomb an area like that without shocking consequences in terms of innocent children and civilians.”

Mr Martin called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

Elsewhere, Taoiseach Simon Harris condemned the attack in Rafah as “absolutely unimaginable and unconscionable”.

He said: “Overnight we have seen Israel attack a displaced person centre, a place where parents were told to flee with their children, and they bombed it.”

Mr Harris defended Ireland’s decision to recognise Palestine as a state.

He added: “We did recognition not to be pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli but to be pro-peace.

“You cannot have a two-state solution if you don’t recognise the existence of two states and we hope by moving with Norway and Spain to create some momentum there to keep that alive, that hope, that destination at a time when others are trying to bomb it into oblivion.”

Earlier, Israel's ambassador to Dublin has said that a crisis in bilateral ties over Ireland's plan to recognise a Palestinian state sends the wrong message about Ireland as a tech hub and is worrying Israeli investors in the Irish IT services sector.

Speaking in Jerusalem, where she has held foreign ministry consultations after being recalled in protest, Dana Erlich said she hopes to return to Ireland, though she saw the Irish Government as siding with the Palestinians against Israel.

The statehood recognition is due to be formalised tomorrow in conjunction with Spain and Norway. The United States and some other European countries favour reviving negotiations on resolving the conflict first.

The move by Ireland, Spain and Norway was denounced as a “reward for terrorism” by Israel, which is waging a devastating war in Gaza with knock-on fighting on other fronts in response to the October 7 cross-border rampage by Hamas.

Ireland recognises the state of Palestine

Ms Erlich said all aspects of Israeli-Irish ties were under review but stopped short of predicting further action by her government, which has continued sparring with Madrid.

“Ireland is not neutral or an honest broker in this case, because they are very supportive of the Palestinians. But what we are saying (is): this is not the time for such announcement on recognition,” said Ms Erlich.

The Irish Government says recognition of Palestinian statehood may benefit Israel by reviving stalled peace negotiations.

Ms Erlich said many Irish people sympathise with Israel “behind the scenes”. She added: “I think there is a lot of potential in our bilateral relations, if it's cybersecurity or health care, climate change. I hope to be given that opportunity to continue that.”

But she said a public mood of hostility is making Israelis question their place in Ireland – a threat to tech services that account for the lion's share of around €5bn in annual trade between the countries.

“We are getting more and more phone calls and hearing conversations of concerned people - if it's Israelis who invest in Ireland and are concerned about their investment, if it's Israelis who have relocated to Ireland into different tech companies and either are requesting to be relocated somewhere else or asking to return to Israel,” said Ms Erlich.

“I think it sends the wrong message about the location and the centrality of Ireland as a tech hub when there are more and more people who are concerned about moving to Ireland. I don't think this is the message that Ireland wants to send to the world and this is not what we want to see.”

The business connection has already been hit by the decision announced on February 5 by Israel's national carrier, El Al, not to renew direct flights to Dublin that were launched last year, citing changes in customer demands since the Gaza war.

The Government has rejected calls by pro-Palestinian activists to impose sanctions or an economic boycott on Israel.

But on April 5, Ireland said its €15bn sovereign investment fund would divest from six Israeli companies, including some of its largest banks, over their activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Gaza war broke out a month after Ms Erlich arrived in Dublin, plunging her into 24/7 crisis-management.

“There are many similarities between Ireland and Israel that I'm curious to learn more about – if it's a reviving of an ancient language, if it's the diaspora, if it's the different scenic options," she said.

“And I hope to be given that opportunity to continue exploring Ireland. But right now, we need to address our concerns.”