Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Senator O'Loughlin. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Tánaiste. Everybody in the House will agree with the sentiments he has expressed today and in international forums, which reflect the horror of the people of Ireland at what we are witnessing in the Middle East. We can debate the politics of everything else but it is critical that there be an immediate ceasefire. It is deeply regrettable that the US chose to veto the motion at the UN today calling for such a ceasefire.

The actions of Israel are a completely disproportionate response to the horrific events of 7 October. I entirely agree with Senator Currie's remarks in that regard. It is important that the Tánaiste continues to call out the Netanyahu Government. In many ways, it is an extreme nationalist, exclusionist and, I would say, far-right Government. There have long been concerns about its approach to the rule of law within its own country and in regard to how it respects human rights. Indeed, the inclusion of settlers from the West Bank in the Netanyahu Government clearly has influenced Israel's policy and its approach to this conflict.

In our rightful condemnation of the Netanyahu Government, and we must continue to call it out, we should continue to respect the people of Israel.We need to ensure that while we continuously call out what is being done by its government, in the same way that we show our detestation for the authoritarian regime of Putin in Russia and Xi Jinping in China we still show respect for the ordinary people of Israel as we do the ordinary people of Russia and China. There is a worrying rise in antisemitism. In terms of how we express our views globally, we should always stand against such hatred whether it is antisemitism, Islamophobia or discrimination based on any religious or other expression of identity.

We have to look to the future in terms of what is going to happen. It is quite right that the Tánaiste spoke about investment in education. It is to be hoped we will see a ceasefire quite soon. Ireland and the European Union need to commit to helping to rebuild Palestine and the West Bank. We need to move towards the two-state solution that this State has long called for and involved in that is the recognition of Palestine. However, there will be a need for investment in physical infrastructure.

Given our State's history, as the Tánaiste has outlined, it is important to invest in education. We have to give those who survive the atrocities hope. We have to be able to provide them with the opportunity, whether in Palestine or outside of their borders, to complete their education and build a new state for themselves. The lessons of our own peace process show that there will be a requirement for greater co-operation between the peoples of the Middle East.

We know this is an incredibly dark period. We have to look at ways in which we can shine a light and say that we will look to bring people together at the end of this. Physical rebuilding is not going to be enough, and we know that. As hard as it is now, we need to start to talk about how we can ensure a process of reconciliation between the peoples who are going to have to live in this region well into the future. While we must continue our efforts to ensure that there is a ceasefire, we also have to look to the long term and to the rebuilding process.

As the Tánaiste said, we need to continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of the hostages. We all hope that in the not-too-distant future, leadership will emerge in Israel other than that of Netanyahu and those on the extreme right. The people of Palestine are not best served by Hamas or some of those who are leading them at present. It is critical that we start to look at who will provide the long-term leadership within the region. It is vital that the international community supports those emerging leaders, human rights activists and others in Israel and Palestine to be able to rebuild after this horrific period.

It is also important that we do not just see the conflict in Israel and Palestine in isolation. Other events are happening in the Middle East and globally that need to be reflected on. The role of Iran, in particular in supporting some of the militant groups throughout the Middle East, needs to continue to be called out. That includes Hamas, which is a death cult, as well as its role in supporting the Houthis in Yemen and some of the horrific actions that are taking place there. I ask in particular that the Tánaiste raise with Iran its support for the Houthis. At present, the Houthis are engaging in the systematic execution of those who are gay or identify as gay, as well as in many other human rights atrocities in Yemen. In Iran, we continue to see the arbitrary detention of women, LGBT persons and those from ethnic and religious minorities. We know the Iranian authorities are engaged in disappearance and torture, including amputation and blinding. We know Iran is supplying military equipment, including drones, to Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

It is important to mention that Ireland has had a very long and proud peacekeeping record. The Tánaiste mentioned the role of our troops in UNIFIL We should look to participate in any peacekeeping, difficult though it may be, in this region. We have always been willing to step up to the mark. It shows, as the Minister rightly said, the problem with the veto at the Security Council. Our foreign policy should not be held to ransom by a veto at the Security Council, whether by the United States, China or Russia. I thank the Tánaiste for the leadership he has provided in this area and all of this House will continue to support the actions he is taking.