A prominent Church of Ireland priest, the Rev Patrick Comerford, has condemned the Israeli military offensive in Lebanon, saying: "The Israeli military offensive of the past three weeks is precisely that - offensive."
Preaching in Whitechurch parish, Rathfarnham, on the 61st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, he said: "Israel is legitimately worried about its very survival, about attacks on its civilian population and about Hizbullah's refusal to disarm in defiance of UN resolutions.
"But Israel has defied international law, international conventions on human rights, the accepted criteria for a 'just war' and UN resolutions, by waging an undeclared war; using a disproportionate force that is totally destructive; deliberately attacking civilian populations; making refugees of up to half a million non-combatant civilians; targeting UN observers; destroying the democratic institutions and civilian infrastructure of a sovereign state; and of course, by acquiring nuclear weapons."
He said the Israeli military action "should be offensive to all humanity" and modern wars must be declared offensive.
