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

I thank the Taoiseach for his response and agree that it is good to have a level of consensus in this House, and indeed in the country, on the appropriate response to the horrific violence we have seen unleashed. It is very positive to see Ireland as a voice, at both EU and international level, calling for restraint from Israel following the events at the weekend and a voice for the continuance of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza and Palestine. That is very positive.

It would also be very positive to see Ireland taking a strong position on support for Palestinian statehood and for the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill, which the Labour Party was proud to support and help Senator Frances Black to shepherd through Seanad Éireann. There is a need for a unity of purpose on the Palestinian right to self-determination to come forward from this House and this country, while at the same time, as the Taoiseach said, we must be clear about condemning outright the brutality of Hamas that we saw at the weekend.

I would also say there is an issue at a domestic or national level, where we have seen a real toxicity in public discourse on social media. Ireland is home to so many tech giants and there is an important role for us to play in seeking regulation of online discourse to address the sort of toxicity of debate-----

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