Explained: Could Irish troops fight alongside Israel now we have removed Triple Lock?

The government narrowly won the vote on proposed legislation removing need for UN approval of Irish troop deployments.

What is it?

The triple lock requires that before more than 12 Irish troops are deployed abroad, three tests must be passed:

• There must be a decision of the Government
• A vote in the Dail
• Backing by the United Nations

The government propose removing these rules due to the fact that a new peacekeeping mission has not been announced since 2014.

It means the government of the day will have more power to decide where we send troops whatever the mission may be.

Every available poll says that Irish people want the Triple Lock, and want to protect Ireland's neutrality in wars and conflict around the world.

This is why Irish Defence Forces take part in "peacekeeping" or "blue helmet" missions and not active conflict.

Many argue the government does not have a mandate for this legislation to remove it and if they are so certain of what the people want they should have a referendum.

Why now?

Micheál Martin and Fianna Fail used to be behind Ireland's stance, he said once: "the triple lock is at the core of our neutrality".

He's changed his tune as the "world has changed".

France, the UK, China, the US and Russia currently have a role in deciding where peacekeeping missions can take place, and as tensions between these nations continue, they cannot agree on new missions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee says that "for five countries across the world, or any country, can have any say in where we send our troops is crazy. We need to change this. The changes contained in this Bill are necessary if we want to ensure that, as a sovereign country, we have the independence and ability to make our own decisions about where we deploy our troops."

HOWEVER: However, there have there been mandate renewals and mandates for regional missions.

The government's argument is that it cannot get a mandate from the UN for peacekeeping, so it is going to get rid of the triple lock so that it can send troops on non-peacekeeping missions with no UN mandate.

Could we end up fighting in foreign wars?

Short answer: Yes, we could, but it doesn't mean we will.

The Minister of Defence's head of defence and security policy, Bernie maguire was asked in an Oireachtas Committee whether if this new bill was in place in 2003 there would have been anything stopping us from sending troops to invade Iraq. The answer was “No”. There would have been nothing in place for us to stop it. There would have been no legal backstop and no triple lock to prevent the Government of the day potentially sending troops to Iraq.

Social Democrat Sinead Gibney pointed out that the UK and the US claimed at the time that what they did was in compliance with the UN Charter, which is exactly what the Government is trying to replace the triple lock with, namely, adherence to the UN Charter.

Likewise, former Army Ranger Tom Clonan pointed out if Ireland deploys troops to proposed "EU Support Mission" to Lebanon without Triple Lock -It will no longer be a "blue helmet" peacekeeping mission. It will be an EU "Peace Enforcement Mission to Disarm Hezbollah" which would be over seen by an EU which is already very pro Israel, who claim they are currently bombing Lebanon to defeat "Hezbollah".

At least 1,417 people, more than a third of the total death toll since March 2, were killed in Israeli attacks since April 17. This includes 32 health workers, nearly one in four of all those killed since March 2, and at least 70 children, more than 1 in 4 of all those killed since March 2. On average, Israeli forces killed more than one child every day since April 17.