Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our witnesses, who are very welcome. I also thank them for the work they continue to do. It is important work which the committee very much appreciates, as do I. I have a few questions. Time is tight. We have received and read the submissions made by the witnesses. The Chair has to be strict on time but we received the submissions in good time. I will ask a couple of questions.

We hear from the Taoiseach and from the Minister for Foreign Affairs about European aid to Palestine. They talk a lot about this aid, the form it comes in, its cost and the mechanisms involved in delivering it. However, we rarely hear comprehensive detail as to why exactly that aid is so badly needed. For the record, information and benefit of the committee, will the witnesses please provide information about the impact on the Palestinian economy of the Israeli Government's actions, including sanctions and war? Will they put on the record the impact these have had on businesses and the economy and why this impact results in the need for aid?