Irish President Calls for UN Military Intervention in Gaza

August 25, 2025 | 08:28 am

The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, emphasized on Saturday that the UN General Assembly must form a joint task force to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza, as reported by Irish media.

In an interview with the Irish public television station, RTE as cited by The Jerusalem Post, President Higgins reminded that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could use authority under Chapter VII of the UN Charter-a mechanism that allows enforcement actions, including the deployment of armed forces, without Security Council approval if deemed necessary.

"If a certain proportion of the committee of the General Assembly supported, even if the Security Council uses the veto to block it, the secretary general can call for a force to be put together to guarantee humanitarian access," he said.

"The main thing is, I think, for a global reassertion of the importance of the General Assembly," Higgins emphasized.

He also described the situation in Gaza as a "realm of non-accountability."

"We are in a realm without any accountability," Higgins said, as reported by Anadolu, referring to the situation in Gaza as a "tragic period" in world history.

He mentioned that the world is in an "extraordinary moment" where members of the Israeli cabinet are "interested explicitly in illegality" but "not worried about international law."

"The other thing which is now proposed is, in fact, breaking the link between the West Bank and Gaza. The realm of unaccountability is the most dangerous threat to democracy," he added.

He also added that "unaccountable technological roles" underlie the threat, with the idea that it could escalate into an arms race, "without regard for fundamental differences with humanity itself."

"You can't use the genocide that is taking place (in Gaza) as a distraction from the neglected political issues that have been neglected for so long," he stated.

Higgins is one of the first Western leaders to acknowledge the state of Palestine after the October 7th attack, along with Spain and Norway in May 2024.

"Recognition is an act with strong political and symbolic value," said Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris at a special press conference in Dublin in May 2024.

"This is an expression of our view that Palestine holds and should be able to uphold the full rights of a state, including self-determination, self-governance, territorial integrity, and security, as well as recognizing Palestine's obligations under international law," he emphasized.

Israel has killed more than 62,300 Palestinian residents in Gaza since October 2023, and military campaigns have devastated the enclave, facing a famine crisis.

Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its war in the enclave.

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