Mr. Patrick Costello:

Within the village there is a school which is referred to as the tyre school as the walls have been built with reused tyres. It provides an education, not just for children in the village but also for children from a lot of Bedouin communities in the wider area. If it is demolished, the lives of the Bedouin will be made even more difficult. I agree with Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan on these points. As she said, it is important to make strong statements on the issue. We are hearing a lot of strong statements, including from the Tánaiste. However, it is time for action. Our first ask is for recognition of the state of Palestine. The power to do this is entirely in the Tánaiste's wrist. He could do it tomorrow if he wanted to do so. We need to move beyond statements to action.