Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I found the report from the Tánaiste very good. The approach being taken is sensible, reasonable and measured in most areas and I did not find myself in any great disagreement with it.

In regard to Gaza, I agree with what the Tánaiste said. I encourage him to continue his efforts to try to get Europe to come to a cohesive view on it. I am thinking back to the initiatives Jimmy Carter took back in the 1970s. Great efforts were made at that time with the Egyptians. Something like that needs to be done and I am inclined to agree with Deputy Durkan that it should be done on the basis of a permanent structure that would continue to try to find agreement there.

I have been critical of the settlements, as have other members, simply because it is almost getting to the stage where a two-state solution is becoming impossible, and that is unacceptable. Pressure needs to be brought to bear on Israel to accept that and to discontinue settlements. We also need to say in a balanced way that Israel is entitled to ensure its borders are safe and secure and that its citizens are not subject to attack going forward.

Is there anything we can do, particularly given that our EU Presidency is coming up next year, to build a coalition with the Americans? It is timely because the Obama Administration will continue for the next four years. Hilary Clinton may be leaving office, but perhaps she would be a very suitable person, and the EU could become involved. We could build a consensus which could work hard to put pressure on both sides to come to an agreement and which could use the force of moral pressure internationally. However, we need cohesion to provide a basis for the ending of the settlements and to lay the foundations and to move forward to try build the confidence and trust needed because this keeps happening.

I was in Rwanda two or three years ago and I was near the Congolese border where they had what I would describe as decontamination centres for Hutus who had gone across the border after the genocide and had fought in the forests in the Congo as paramilitaries. As has been said, the situation there is horrific. They were bringing these people back and keeping them for three months in this centre before trying to integrate them back into their local communities. They would then face the Gacaca courts or whatever else to try to deal with the legacy issue in Rwanda.

There has been some criticism of Rwanda but I was very impressed by what I saw the Rwandan Government doing. We met President Paul Kagame at the time and I thought he had a very good vision not only for Rwanda but for eastern Africa.