Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Before I ask my supplementary question, I will just say that the points I am going to make apply to the Taoiseach and the representatives of the Government. They also apply to all parties in this House, however. In our view, no party in this House should attend a celebration with Joe Biden while this Israeli terror campaign is being waged. That applies to Sinn Féin as much as it applies to Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party.

The Taoiseach mentioned Rafah, a place with a swelling population of 1.5 million people, a majority of whom are trying to survive in tents. There may be a six-week pause announced before the Taoiseach travels to the US, but there may not be. There could be an Israeli ground assault on Rafah. Is the Taoiseach seriously saying that if bombs are raining down from the sky on the people of Rafah in their tents and if the noise and fury of a ground invasion is taking place outside those tents, that he will go to Washington and present a bowl of shamrock on behalf of the Irish people to the man who is more responsible than anyone else on the planet for arming and financing the military force involved?

Is the Taoiseach seriously saying that? Would he not even for a moment reconsider his position on that?

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