Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and reiterate my party, Sinn Féin's support for and solidarity with the Palestinian cause, the ending of Palestine's illegal occupation and the right of Palestinians to self-determination in terms of their own state.

Dr. Sabella mentioned that the recent upsurge in violence in Israel and Palestine was linked to the actions of right-wing, ultra-religious groups violating the status quoat the al-Haram al-Sharif site. What measures can be implemented to ensure that the historical status quois enforced and respected? There has been political cover from the Israeli side for some of the actions in question. There is documented evidence of Israeli security forces and citizens carrying out extrajudicial killings. Will Palestine bring legal cases at an international level against those involved?

Regarding the labelling of settlement goods, our guests know that the EU recently introduced labelling regulations. These are a welcome first step but much more can be done. Should the EU ban goods from illegal settlements entering it? Due to the dire situation caused by the occupation and human rights abuses, the national elections in Palestine have been postponed. I understand that there are complex political and security issues but has there been any movement towards holding the elections in the near future? What impact will the so-called transparency Bill, under which members of NGOs will be tainted as foreign agents, have on Palestinian groups as well as Israeli NGOs?