The Tánaiste says there are no weapons being transported by the US to Israel via Shannon airport.
Micheál Martin has come under criticism in the Dáil for backing the candidacy of Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as European Commission President.
Sinn Féin says her stance on Israel is reason enough not to support Ms von der Leyen.
Under questioning about Shannon Airport in the Dáil, Tánaiste Micheál Martin says it isn’t being used to further the war in the Middle-East:
Statement from Tánaiste Micheál Martin
There is absolutely no evidence that any airport in Ireland or any Irish sovereign airspace is being used to transport weapons to the conflict in the Middle East. All foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly or land in the State are required, without exception, to obtain diplomatic clearance. This has been the case for many years. Such permission is granted only where all relevant conditions are met, including that the aircraft is unarmed, carries no arms, ammunition or explosives, does not engage in intelligence gathering and does not form part of a military exercise or operation.
Our policies on diplomatic clearance and the carriage of munitions of war on civilian aircraft are fully understood by the United States and other international partners. My Department regularly engages with the US and other embassies in Dublin on this issue and monitors compliance carefully. It is also expressly prohibited to carry munitions of war on civil aircraft in Irish sovereign territory unless an exemption has been granted by the Minister for Transport. In 2023 and to date in 2024, no applications have been received or exemptions granted for the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft to Israel. In respect of military aircraft, the only transit to Israel has been of senior political and military officials from the US travelling for meetings in the region.
To ensure full transparency, information on all military flights is published on the gov.ie website and updated on a monthly basis. The Department of Transport regularly publishes information relating to requests for exemptions for the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft. It should be noted that sovereign immunity, a long-standing principle of customary international law, means that a state may not exercise its jurisdiction in respect to another state or its property. This principle applies to foreign state or military aircraft in Ireland just as it applies to Irish State or military aircraft abroad. This means foreign military aircraft that are permitted to land in Ireland are not subject to inspection.
