Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Barghouti for, as the Chairman said, such a concise and clear presentation. I think he has set out very succinctly why Ireland should support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, BDS, programme. I am personally a supporter of it. I am proud to support it on behalf of Labour, my party. Students' unions across Ireland have backed it, as have other unions. We need to act on it. I would ask, on a related issue that we have heard about in this committee and which some of us have been working on, the systematic demolition of Palestinian infrastructure by the Israeli authorities, notably of EU-funded Palestinian infrastructure. Mr. Barghouti might say a word about that. I have always thought that was strong leverage within the EU for Ireland to take a position in defence of the funding that the EU has provided for structures that have since been dismantled or destroyed by Israeli authorities as part of the illegal settlement programme. I express my support and thank Mr. Barghouti for coming.