Mary Robinson calls for end of arms supply from US to Israel

Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson has called for an end to the supply of weapons from the United States to Israel as it launches fatal attacks and airstrikes on Gaza and Lebanon.

The world has watched as Israel has crossed line after line and as international humanitarian law has been "horribly transgressed," Robinson said.

Israel bombarded southern areas of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, late Thursday night, sending 11 consecutive strokes towards what the Israeli military said were "targets belonging to Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut."

The bombing hit the primary road that links Beirut to Syria, where many displaced people have been fleeing towards in search of refuge.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One, Mary Robinson, who currently serves as the chair of the high-level advocacy organisation The Elders, asserted that the group "condemns violence against civilians on all sides" of the conflict but that Israel has shown a "lack of any protection for Palestinian civilians in Gaza and Lebanese civilians", imploring that the international community must put a stop to Israel's war campaign.

"Israel is now acting with impunity because it has not been restrained," said the former president. "The Elders have repeatedly called for the United States to restrain Israel’s actions through the suspension of arms transfers to Israel and where these are now being used in such an aggressive way".

The arms being supplied to Israel are not required for legitimate self-defence, Ms Robinson said. She also noted that in August, US president Joe Biden unveiled a further $20bn worth of arms sales, "and now we see what is happening in Lebanon".

Israel's recent bombing campaign in Lebanon has killed in excess of 1,000 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry, with hundreds of thousands more forced to flee their homes.

In Gaza, the death toll from Israel's warfare since 7th October, 2023 stands at 41,788, according to Gaza's health ministry.