Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I want to speak about the terrible events unfolding in Israel and Palestine. On behalf of the Labour Party, I condemn outright the appalling slaughter by Hamas of civilians at the weekend. The targeting of Israeli civilians, of women and children, by Hamas was appalling and horrific to see. We believe the hostages must be released, as my colleague Deputy Howlin said in a statement on Sunday. Since Saturday, we have all watched in horror as we heard more detail about the attacks. We heard of attacks on young people attending a music festival, on children in their own homes, and the thought of parents who are still unable to make contact with their children, not even knowing if they are alive or dead, is unbearable. The thought of an Irish citizen, Kim Damti, being among those who are now missing and whose safety is unknown, is unbearable. Our thoughts are with her family and with all those affected.

Our thoughts are also with the people of Gaza today. At the weekend, we in the Labour Party called for restraint by Israel in response to the Hamas attack, but since then we have all watched, in grave dismay, as Israel has unleashed missile attacks on residential areas in Gaza and cut off vital services to the civilian population. Israel has effectively placed the people of Gaza under siege, indefinitely it seems, with more than 1 million children now being subject to collective punishment in Gaza without any way of escaping. These actions by Israel must also be condemned outright. Indeed, both the Hamas attack and the Israeli response have already resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and we are seeing the region being plunged again into a terrible abyss of violence, with neither side to benefit and civilians bearing the brunt.

There are two statements about the situation which should not attract controversy. One is that, of course, Palestinians have the right to assert and defend their human rights in the face of decades of oppression and occupation. I personally, and the Labour Party, have a long track record of supporting Palestinians' right to self-determination, but the actions of Hamas, in deliberately targeting civilians must be condemned. Israeli citizens have a right to go about their business without fear of attack. The second statement, which is also important and should not be controversial, is that the Israeli Government must be condemned for engaging in collective punishment. It must be condemned for besieging Gaza, targeting civilian infrastructure and breaching international law. These two statements should not attract controversy, and it is a zero-sum game in international politics where they do and where it is thought that one and the other cannot be said together.

The reality is that despite the awful conflict deepening and despite the issue being raised so often at an international level, the international community has failed ordinary people in Israel and Gaza and in Palestine generally. Right now, it is impossible to see a situation where matters do not get worse.

The Taoiseach knows a diplomatic failure at international level requires a diplomatic response, from us in Ireland as much as at an international level. At an international level, what is Ireland's response to the conflict? How will the Irish Government continue to work, both at EU and UN level? It is important the Government condemns not only the brutality of Hamas but also the siege tactics and breaches of international law being deployed by the Israeli Government. How are we in Ireland working to bring international pressure to bear, as the Taoiseach just said, to calm the situation and to restore the focus on building a two-state solution, a lasting peace settlement in accordance with international law?

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