Taoiseach says Ireland must 'speak the truth to friends' on Middle East during White House visit
On Tuesday, Iran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles towards Israel. It is suspected the attacks were in revenge for ground attacks in Lebanon and the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh
Taoiseach Simon Harris has defended his upcoming trip to the White House as he stated Ireland must "speak the truth to its friends" and President Joe Biden about the war in the Middle East.
It comes amid yet another escalation in the conflict in the region as tensions rise between Israel and Iran.
On Tuesday, Iran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles towards Israel. It is suspected the attacks were in revenge for ground attacks in Lebanon and the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh.
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It also follows the death of over 30 people in Lebanon last month when hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in what was believed to be an Israeli attack.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Iran had made a "big mistake" and vowed that "it will pay for it".
President Biden reaffirmed his support for Israel and said he would talk to Netanyahu about how to respond to Iran.
The Taoiseach has accepted an invitation to the White House to visit President Biden later this month.
On Wednesday, he strongly disagreed that his upcoming trip looked like he was "cosying up" to Mr Biden as America continues to support Israel and sell the country arms.
"Should I not go? Is that the view?" he asked.
"Ireland and the United States of America have 100 years of diplomatic relations. There are great friendships between Ireland and America that run beyond any individual, including me. Our countries have great, proud diplomatic links. I'm proud of the diplomatic relations between Ireland and the United States of America and I believe the overwhelming majority of people in this country are too.
"I'm also proud of the tradition of taoisigh and presidents being able to engage on issues too.
"But you also speak the truth to your friends. Ireland's never afraid to speak our view and I'm not afraid of that either.
"We speak the truth. We speak up for our foreign policy. We have an independent foreign policy. Our independent foreign policy is very clear in relation to what should happen in the Middle East.
"I have absolutely no doubt at all that the President of the United States of America is desperately trying to bring about a ceasefire. I have absolutely no doubt that his administration, led through the efforts of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, have been working to find a ceasefire. I have no doubt the EU wants to see a ceasefire.
"I can say all of that, though, and also say in the next sentence, all of the efforts have been utterly ineffective to date because we still don't have a ceasefire."
Mr Harris condemned the Iranian attack on Israel and warned that the attack represented "major jeopardy in the region". He added that recent Israeli actions also needed to be condemned.
He spoke to the Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati on Tuesday. He also has been in contact with the Defence Forces as 380 peacekeepers continue a mission in Lebanon.
"We need everybody to step back from the brink here," he added.
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