Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach agus go dtí an díospóireacht tábhachtach seo. I also welcome our distinguished guests.

This is one of the most important debates we have had or will have in Seanad Éireann and it must be balanced. I congratulate the Minister on the balance he has shown in what he has said since he took office and in working with others on this issue. It is important that people work and discuss the issues together and that they sing from the same hymn sheet, particularly in the European Union.

There are wrongs on both sides. I condemn the atrocities taking place and the dropping of tons of explosives by Israel on people trapped in Gaza, the shelling of homes, schools, hospitals and children playing on football pitches. None of us could say this is right. There are now over 1,300 Palestinians dead, mostly non-combatants, and from 36 to 40 Israelis dead, two of whom were civilians.

There are two sides to this debate and we have heard some of what both sides have to say. Israel must defend itself and cannot sit idly back and wait for missiles to land without doing anything about them. It, too, is under deadly fire because it does not know when mortars will be launched, but it is better protected than Gaza, through its orange shield and dome and is supported by the United States. However, two wrongs do not make a right. Perhaps the United States should also place a shield around Gaza to provide for some fairness.

We cannot ignore the daily realities of the occupation by Israel of Gaza. Senator Averil Power spoke about the same issues arising five or six years ago. Therefore, it is not today or yesterday that this problem started. We cannot go back to the beginning, but we cannot ignore the daily issues that result from the occupation of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza - curfews, house demolitions, deportations, population registers, Jews-only roads and land appropriation. All of this has been happening and has not arisen today or yesterday. Other instruments are also employed, including military enforced racial segregation. All of these issues need to be debated, but the sad fact is that there is no debate. Everyone who has spoken has called for a ceasfire. It is vital there be a ceasfire on both sides in order that both sides can sit down and talk together, but this will not happen unless there is a ceasfire. People in Israel are suffering also, although not as much because they have protection. One reporter described the situation in Israel as the politics and psychology of occupational denial.

Many have said Israel did all it could have for peace back in 1994 when it signed up to the Oslo agreement and handed back the West Bank. However, the problem is that the West Bank was never really handed back to the Palestinians and people in the parts of Gaza under Palestinian control are under siege. The siege of Gaza predates the Hamas takeover in 2006. The number of Jewish settlers living in the occupied territories has soared since the Oslo Accord was signed and risen from 281,000 to 534,000. This reality must be faced. The Minister and other Members have mentioned the trade with the illegal settlements. On the other side we have Hamas and the tunnels, but the indiscriminate shelling is a disproportionate response from Israel. Two wrongs do not make a right.

Gaza is suffering badly and we must do something about it. We cannot sit idly by. Much of the suffering provides satisfaction for Hamas because it gives it greater publicity. However, it has replaced the 1936 criminal code with Sharia law. As a woman, I point out that the women of Gaza are suffering as a result, with honour killings, female genital mutilation, the stoning of adulterers, and the imprisonment of gay men and lesbians.

I was listening to someone from UNICEF on radio speaking about the work it was doing. Talking is good, but a little action is needed also. UNICEF is looking for help. People can dial 7830000 to give a little help. Every little counts.