Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and wish him well in his ministry. He has started by having to contend with one of the most difficult issues in the world today. It is one of the most serious to have arisen for a very long time and it has been a baptism of fire for him. I commend him for his work to date.

Before I speak about the situation in Palestine and Gaza, I would like to respond to the statement made by the Minister on the situation in Ukraine. His detailed examination of the issue will be widely accepted by everyone in the House. I will not dwell on it, other than to comment on the past role of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Catherine Ashton, in this regard. Too much of an effort was made to bring Ukraine into the sphere of EU influence. It was provocative, to say the least, and led to many difficulties in the region.

I commend my colleagues, Senators Averil Power and Darragh O'Brien, who proposed last Sunday that the Seanad be recalled to debate these issues. We fully stand over the proposal to recall the Seanad. We took the initiative because we felt it was appropriate in the circumstances to give people, including the Minister, an opportunity to outline to the Oireachtas their views on the ongoing crisis in the region.

I am delighted the Cathaoirleach decided, at our request, to recall the Seanad. That is appropriate. We may be the only parliament in the world that has come together to discuss the issue. We are a voice crying in the wilderness but at least we are taking some action in this particular regard.

Some years ago I established the Friends of Palestine in the Oireachtas which was supported by all parties and none. During that time we endeavoured to bring both sides together, recognising the right of self-determination of the Jewish people to the State of Israel and Palestinians in a two-state solution. This was a policy laid out by the late Brian Lenihan senior in the 1980s when he stood alone in calling for the two-state solution. He did not get consensus from the other Ministers in the European Union but decided that Ireland, an independent state, would make this point and made it very clearly. Throughout the whole Middle East, his work has been well recognised. Even though I recognise Palestine and the right to self-determination, I take a very critical view of the approach of Hamas which has been extremely provocative in sending missiles on a regular basis into southern Israel and putting lives and civilian lives at risk. Let us be clear about it. Hamas will not recognise the right of self-determination of Israel. Politically, it is benefiting to some extent from the hardship imposed by Israel and the over-reaction to a situation that has now developed where thousands of lives are being lost, mainly women and children. The situation is changing by the hour and the minute. At this stage about 1,360 civilians have lost their lives, 90% of whom are women and children, and a further 7,700 are injured. Thousands of people are displaced. Hospitals and schools have been attacked. As the power station has been attacked, power is limited in that whole region.

There is no outlet for the people in Gaza and there is no outlet for the people of Palestine. I call on the Egyptians to open the border with Egypt to allow humanitarian aid to pass through the region-----