Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Dooley's call for a debate on recent developments in the Middle East in the context of the unprecedented attack by Iran against the State of Israel, which has been highly condemned all over the world. The fact that the onslaught did not result in widespread death and injury does not lessen the significance and enormity of what Iran did. That there were no widespread fatalities reflects the type of defence mechanism the Israeli people have been forced to put in place to protect themselves from a wide variety of anti-Israel extremists whose sworn aim is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. This is sometimes lost in the debate on Gaza. Naturally, we are hugely sympathetic to the terrible plight of the citizens of Gaza. We must remember that the initial act on 7 October was carried out by Hamas but was sanctioned and most likely inspired by Iran, which has also sworn to destroy Israel.

We in Ireland sympathise with the suffering of the Palestinian people, but we now have to readjust our focus somewhat. There has been a change If we want global security and peace in our time, we need to identify the real enemy and what side we are on. When we see protests for Gaza again, just remember that despite there being well-minded people in that group, there is also more than a sprinkling of individuals who are against Western values. As an Irishman, I am ashamed to say that there is more than a sprinkling of anti-Semitism involved. Let us take stock of ourselves. Let us condemn Iran outright. I look forward to people going onto the streets to protest about Iran. I do not expect to see it, however.