Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2015
5. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Defence his long-term plans for the participation of the Irish Defence Forces in the United Nations disengagement observer force operation in the Golan Heights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7072/15]
View answerA recent UN report stated that the Israeli military has been in direct contact with Syrian rebels over a period of months, has facilitated the treatment of wounded fighters and, at times, exchanged parcels. How can the Minister justify the presence of Irish soldiers in this region? It is hard to see what they are doing there. If the Israelis are now working with rebels with al-Qaeda links, will the Minister explain what purpose the Irish soldiers are serving there now?
The Deputy needs to think about the accuracy of that statement, frankly.
It is in the UN report.
There is a matter referred to as humanitarian assistance. The suggestion that the Israelis are working with Syrian rebels is something of an exaggeration.
At the request of the United Nations, following Government and Dáil Éireann approval, a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force has been deployed to the United Nations disengagement observer force, UNDOF, on the Golan Heights in Syria since 2013. The current Irish contingent, the 46th infantry group, is based in UNDOF headquarters in Camp Ziouani. It operates in the role of a quick reaction force, which is on stand-by to assist with ongoing operations within the UNDOF area of responsibility. Eight other Defence Forces personnel are also deployed in UNDOF headquarters, including the deputy force commander, Brigadier General Anthony Hanlon.
Following the significant events in August 2014 in the area of separation, and there was much debate here about those, there was a fundamental realignment of the UNDOF mission with a view to minimising unacceptable risks to peacekeepers, while continuing to implement the mission’s mandate in the best way possible. Most UNDOF personnel are now deployed on the Israeli side of the area of separation. The UN provides regular updates on the mission to the Security Council in this regard. The presence of the UNDOF mission remains an important element in ensuring stability on the Golan Heights and in the Middle East region.
Participation in overseas missions is reviewed by the Government on an annual basis. On 17 June 2014, the Government approved continued participation in the UNDOF mission for a period of 12 months up to June 2015. I intend to bring proposals to Government in due course for the continued participation by the Defence Forces in the mission beyond June 2015, subject to the renewal of the UN authority for the mission.
We have pointed out previously that this situation has been ongoing for 40 years. The initial idea was that it would bring peace and ensure there was no conflict between Israel and Syria through the Golan Heights area. After 40 years that is no longer the purpose. Recently Israel bombed Hezbollah in Syria, on the other side of the border, over the heads of the UNDOF mission. The Irish forces are regarded as probably the best available for that type of work, but their capacity to be effective and positive in a peacekeeping role could be better used elsewhere than in this location at present.
As we have mentioned before, the UN peacekeeping forces in areas like the Congo and Darfur have serious problems because their people are not as well qualified, trained and disciplined as the Irish troops, who could be of huge advantage in such areas. It is a pointless exercise at the moment in the Golan Heights area.
I agree with the Deputy that Irish troops could be used very effectively in many missions all over the world. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of conflict zones requiring UN peacekeeping efforts right now. We made a judgment call, which I believe was the right judgment call, to stay as part of the UNDOF mission, although the mission came under strain and had to be reconfigured because of what happened last August. This is one of the longest serving peacekeeping missions, if not the longest, that the UN has been involved in. It has been very successful. Israel and Syria have not gone to war. This mission was put in place after the conflict between those two countries. As a result of the ongoing Syrian civil war and the incredibly complex conflict in Syria in recent years, safety levels in large parts of the Golan Heights have been compromised for peace observers. This mission is about peace observation rather than peace enforcement. Following the reconfiguring of the mission, the vast majority of troops, with the exception of some Nepalese troops, have moved to the Israeli side of the line of separation. That is where it is at. The aspiration and intention of the mission is to go back to the Syrian side when it is possible to do so.
The troops were moved because al-Qaeda had moved into a certain area. I do not see where the positive is in the whole Middle East region. The Minister has said that Syria and Israel are not fighting across the border at present, but they would fight if they wanted to. We would not be able to stop them if they did. The UN could play a massive role in the Middle East, but we are a long way from that. The whole area is in turmoil. It is militarised. It is an exercise in promoting the arms industry. Lockheed's share value has increased by 10% in the past six months. The escalation of activity in the area has been a massive boost to the arms industry and a huge blow for the people of the region. It is just too difficult for the UN now. Given the dynamics of it, I honestly think we should be putting our forces somewhere else. They are not serving any reasonable purpose there. I do not know how the Minister can argue that they are.
The Deputy seems to suggest our peacekeeping missions should go into areas that are not militarised or complex because that would be an easy job. We are in the Golan Heights as part of the UNDOF mission because it is highly complex, volatile and militarised, and because the two countries have been at war.
We are not achieving anything.
We are. The UNDOF mission has been very successful in terms of bringing some level of stability. It has prevented-----
It is past its sell-by date.
That is the Deputy's view.
It is not just my view.
It is not the view of the UN Security Council or of UN headquarters. People who are engaged in peacekeeping missions all over the world all the time strongly hold the view that UNDOF still has value in terms of bringing some stability and capacity for observance. It acts as a significant deterrent on both sides not to breach the agreement that is linked to the setting up of the UNDOF mission. We have an incredibly complex network of conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan. The tensions in Israel are linked to its relationship with the Palestinians. All of this requires international observance and attempts by the UN to bring stability when and where possible. Part of that effort is the UNDOF mission. I think Ireland's participation in it is still worthwhile. I value it. Having visited troops in the region, I assure Deputy Wallace that they believe they have a worthwhile role there.
