Irish President Calls for Israel’s Expulsion From UN After Genocide Report

Irish President Michael D. Higgins has urged the exclusion of Israel — and states supplying it with weapons — from the United Nations, following a UN report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Higgins, whose presidency ends later this year, described the findings of the UN Human Rights Council’s independent inquiry as a “very important document.”

“I believe the necessary action now is the exclusion of those who are practicing genocide, and those who are supporting genocide with armaments,” Higgins said. “We must have no hesitation in ending trade with people inflicting this on our fellow human beings.”

The three-member Commission of Inquiry, established in 2021, released its report this week as Israeli forces launched a ground operation in Gaza City, home to nearly a million residents. While the commission cannot sanction states, its findings could feed into cases before the International Criminal Court or the International Court of Justice.

Israel has rejected the report, refusing to cooperate with the commission and dismissing the genocide allegations as “antisemitic.”