Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Once again, the conflict in the Middle East has reached the edge of a dangerous and frightening precipice. The attacks by Hamas on Israel at the weekend have rightly been met with outrage in Ireland and internationally and I join in that condemnation unreservedly. There is no justification for targeting civilians and taking civilians hostage, and all hostages should be released immediately. Our thoughts are with everyone hurt and harmed and we hope for the safety of Irish citizen Kim Damti, who is missing.

These attacks have occurred against the backdrop of decades of deep injustice. Israel brutalises the Palestinian people daily. Palestinian self-determination is ruthlessly suppressed, and for decades the Israeli state has breached international law through collective punishment, annexation, the confiscation of lands and the imposition of an apartheid regime. All the while the international community has, at best, looked the other way and, at worst, has facilitated Israel's breaches of international law, undermining the pathway and efforts to achieve the agreed two-state solution.

As we speak, Israel's retaliation and collective punishment of Gaza is already under way. Israeli rockets rain down hell on an impoverished, beleaguered refugee population, half of whom are children. In the face of this overwhelming military bombardment they have no food, no medical infrastructure, no electricity, no fuel and no way out. Innocent men, women and children stare annihilation in the eye. The international community now faces an immediate test of its commitment to peace, justice and the upholding of democracy and self-determination. We need ceasefires, dialogue and the enforcement of international law. We need to see an end to the cycle of violence, an end to the occupation and an end to the apartheid.

I welcome the statement made by EU foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, who has called out Israel's bombardment as a violation of international law and who has insisted EU humanitarian aid to Palestine will continue. The Irish Government was absolutely right to intervene to help ensure this remained the case. Mr. Borrell has stated very clearly that political engagement and renewed commitment to a peace process can still yield progress, and I agree with him; there is hope.

Ireland can play an immensely positive role. Our history of oppression, colonisation and dispossession gives us a valuable perspective to make a real difference. The Irish peace process shows there is always a way to resolve even the most bitter, intractable situations. We must use all our diplomatic influence and be to the fore in driving a decisive international intervention in the Middle East. Is féidir le hÉireann ról ríthábhachtach agus dearfach a imirt i dtaca le bac a chur ar an bhforéigean breise agus chun bealach athnuaite chun na síochána a aimsiú sa Mheánoirthear. We need an all-Oireachtas approach in calling for a retreat from this terrifying precipice, to build the consensus in the Dáil for peace, the rule of international law, and for Palestinian human rights and self-determination, because the eyes of the international community are now wide open to the brutality and the escalation of the conflict. Mr. Borrell's powerful intervention reflects the international imperative to achieve a cessation of hostilities and an intervention that upholds the primacy of international law to bring about a just settlement and a lasting peace. The question for us and for the Government is what part Ireland plays in all this.

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