Mr. Patrick Costello:

It is great to hear that Deputy Niall Collins went to Palestine. As Ms O'Connor said, being there can be eye-opening. I hope the Deputy will encourage others to go also.

Some commentators have said this is a challenge to the relevance of the European Union on the world stage. If it can talk but cannot follow through, what is the point of the European External Action Service? That problem is exemplified best when Israel demolishes schools and buildings that have been paid for by the European Union. The European Union should seek compensation each time this happens, as we have stated.

Ultimately, the EU is fragmented on this issue, so the focus can also be on what we can do. There are things that the Government can do without needing to wait for Europe. We would encourage it to do so while also fighting the good fight in Europe.