Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will make a couple of comments in this round. It goes without saying - we have all said it here in our condemnation - that what we saw at the weekend was the most barbaric act of terrorism the world has witnessed in many decades. It is right to link it back to the impact of 9-11. There is, however, a level of sheer lacking in humanity in the recording of murder for the purpose of publicising it and the accounts I have heard of people deliberately filming barbaric murder so as to be able then to post it to publicise their so-called agenda or cause. Hamas is a terrorist organisation. I do not believe it represents the people of Palestine. Like a lot of terrorist organisations, it appropriates flags belonging to people and countries to try to make them their own. At its heart it is a pure terrorist organisation that has engaged in the slaughter of children, babies, grandparents and every age in between.

We need to be very careful as a country and a Government now. I thank the Minister of State for his remarks on so many levels.

We have an incredibly proud tradition, which is unequalled within the European Union. It is not just this Government and its immediate predecessor, and particularly the work of the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney. A number of Irish Governments over many years have been a strong voice for Palestine but, at the same time, we have been viewed as a country that reaches out to all and has a relationship with Israel, the United States and our fellow EU members that share a different perspective from us. Unilateral action, which we might take, might sound appealing or have a soundbite element to it, would take Ireland out of the strong position it spent many decades achieving of being able to reach between the parties, be an honest broker and be viewed as such by all sides. It would be very damaging. We must guard against that. We must use our influence, as was said, and I hope we will, to emphasise not just the continuation of EU aid but its enhancement. I saw, on a number of occasions, when I had the privilege of working in the Department, the work we do in our aid programme and the work we have pioneered. Indeed, some of that work has been destroyed by Israeli military actions from time to time. When people - and it is people are talking about - are at risk of one of the most catastrophic crises if there is a ground invasion, it is imperative on the EU and Ireland at that point not to even contemplate the notion of a reduction in aid but to look at how we could come to their aid and increase our support. That is the role we must play while supporting the two-state solution. I particularly urge the Government to support developing an opening on the Egyptian side. We have good relations with Egypt. We cannot have a situation in which millions of people are trapped with the unbelievable horror of what a ground war would entail for them. The only tangible solution available is for us to use our good offices to try to ensure that a corridor is opened that allows people to leave for their own safety.

I particularly urge people in Ireland who have a perspective on this. We need to remember at heart of this that unlike the government of the West Bank and unlike other organisations, some of which started as terrorist organisations but moved to wanting to create a peace with Israel, all Hamas wants to do, by its stated own objective, is to destroy the state of Israel. You cannot talk to people who want to destroy you, whose only goal is your destruction and have shown, as part of that, that they will murder your children. I commend what the European Commission has done so far. High Representative Borrell has done an excellent job and the Commission President has been very strong and clear. I urge our Government to maintain that central role of being the honest broker that can reach out to all sides within the EU and in the greater world through the UN. I thank the Minister of State. I propose that I go back to Deputy Howlin and that we have a discussion on more general European issues, which are also in the Minister of State's area of responsibility.