Public Statement: Lebanon/Israel

31st July 2006

Amnesty International welcomes the recent statement by the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs that, in the context of the current crisis in Lebanon/Israel, the Irish Government will not grant permission for any flights carrying munitions of war to the conflict zone to stop over in Shannon or other Irish airports.

Governments supplying Israel and Hizbullah with arms and military equipment are fuelling their capacity to commit war crimes.

Amnesty International has urged all governments to impose an arms embargo on both sides and refuse permission for their territories to be used for the transfer of arms and military equipment.

The February transfer of Apache attack helicopters to Israel without the necessary government permission, and without the knowledge of either the Department of Foreign Affairs or Department of Transport, illustrates the inadequacy of laws and regulations alone.

The civilian aircraft that landed at Shannon on June 11 en route from Kuwait to the United States carrying a US Marine prisoner, without the requisite government consent, also revealed how Ireland’s processes and bilateral agreements for granting landing or overflight permissions lack oversight mechanisms.

Therefore, while we welcome the government’s position on arms transfers to the conflict zone, we caution the Irish authorities to ensure vigilance in their monitoring of the use of Shannon and other airports by foreign military and civilian aircraft.

• For more infromation on this issue please see our Crisis in Lebanon-Israel Campaign page
• See the press releases Ireland lacks control over use of its territory - European States legally responsible for rendition abuses
  and US breach illuminates Ireland’s lack of control over use of its territory
  
• Mission Diaries: read accounts of Al's missions investigating the situation in Lebanon and Israel.