Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris and outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Nagib Mikati in Dublin on Friday. (Photo released by the Grand Serail)
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris stated during a meeting with outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Nagib Mikati that "violence in the Middle East has reached unacceptable levels and that the international community must make a concerted effort to put an end to it."
The two high-ranking officials met Friday afternoon in Dublin, the day after an international conference to support Lebanon held in Paris, the National News Agency reports. It comes as the country is engulfed in violence between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. The once attritional conflict that began following the war in Gaza has escalated into total war since the summer.
Simon Harris emphasized that Najib Mikati is the first Lebanese head of government to visit Ireland and expressed "his country's solidarity." He also noted that Ireland had "called through international organizations and the European Union, of which it is a member, to pressure for a ceasefire in Lebanon." His country has also urged all parties to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel but has never been applied.
Attacks on UNIFIL
"We also firmly condemn the Israeli attacks against the U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon," added Simon Harris, whose country is one of the contributors. The peacekeepers have indeed faced several assaults from the Israeli army, which has repeatedly demanded that UNIFIL leave its positions along the Blue Line.
Najib Mikati, for his part, thanked "Ireland for standing by us and also for being one of the first European countries to actively participate in UNIFIL," praising "the sacrifices made by Ireland and its soldiers in Lebanon." He expressed gratitude for Ireland's "constant support for humanitarian and just causes, foremost among them the cause of Palestine," emphasizing that "the symbolism of this visit is to thank the countries that always stand by Lebanon."
The Irish government has been one of the few to openly criticize the violence of the Israeli response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
