Supporting Gaza Sir, – Following the US military action in Venezuela, Miriam Ryan (Letters, January 7th) asks:“surely Ireland and the EU could have taken this opportunity to stand squarely behind international law?’ This should come as no surprise. For the past two years we have seen no meaningful sanctions against the state of Israel for their genocidal actions against the population of Gaza. The Genocide Convention (enshrined in International Law and Irish domestic law) obligates states to prevent and punish perpetrators of genocide once they learn of a “serious risk” that genocide may be occurring. The International Court of Justice, in their January 2024 ruling against Israel, sounded this risk without any possibility of doubt. By failing to uphold international law in the case of Gaza, Ireland and the EU have effectively signalled that such laws are optional, thereby paving the way for the very disregard for international law we are now seeing. First, they came for Gaza. – Yours, etc. SEÁN MARMION, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.

Supporting Gaza Sir, – Following the US military action in Venezuela, Miriam Ryan (Letters, January 7th) asks:“surely Ireland and the EU could have taken this opportunity to stand squarely behind international law?’ This should come as no surprise. For the past two years we have seen no meaningful sanctions against the state of Israel for their genocidal actions against the population of Gaza. The Genocide Convention (enshrined in International Law and Irish domestic law) obligates states to prevent and punish perpetrators of genocide once they learn of a “serious risk” that genocide may be occurring. The International Court of Justice, in their January 2024 ruling against Israel, sounded this risk without any possibility of doubt. By failing to uphold international law in the case of Gaza, Ireland and the EU have effectively signalled that such laws are optional, thereby paving the way for the very disregard for international law we are now seeing. First, they came for Gaza. – Yours, etc. SEÁN MARMION, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.