Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for being here. As I indicated to the Chair, I will have to leave for a Dáil debate at some point, so I apologise for that. I thank the Tánaiste also for his opening remarks. As he indicated, there are a number of areas on which we would like to have a detailed discussion, but it is clear today and this week that the priority for the coming period will be the circumstances in Palestine and Israel. In that vein, will the Tánaiste give us an update on the status of the Defence Forces in Lebanon and Golan Heights? That would be useful for the committee.

The Tánaiste and the Government have rightly been forceful in outlining the revulsion of the Irish people at the actions of Hamas last Saturday week, and the fact those actions were unjustified under any parameters and were a flagrant breach of not only international law but also human norms. He and the Government have also been clear that adherence to international law and the UN charter is a fundamental principle to which all parties to conflict must adhere. I thank him for that because, unfortunately, we have seen in a European context that saying that, which I would consider to be just a basic principle, does not come easy to some European leaders when it is people in Palestine who are being killed. It is important for Ireland to maintain that consistency of approach in calling out breaches of international law, regardless of whether they are committed by Hamas, Russia or the Israeli state.

The difficulty I have is that the language that is applied to different breaches is not always as forceful. Since, and arguably before, the events of last Saturday week, we have seen a state, namely the State of Israel, breach international law virtually every single day through the ongoing occupation, annexation and apartheid regime that is in place. Looking over even recent days, however, the deliberate, in my view, targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure that has resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza is a breach of international law, and we must condemn it as such. The forced transfer of up to a million people from the north of Gaza to the south of Gaza, from one end of an open-air prison to another end of an open-air prison, is a breach of international law and should be called out and condemned as such. The denial of basic services - water, food, gas, electricity - is a breach of international law. It amounts, as the Taoiseach has said, to collective punishment. It should be called out and condemned as such. Will the Tánaiste today call out and condemn each of those actions as such in order that we can be very clear in our consistent approach? The situation in Gaza is obviously unique and horrendous as we meet. At the same time, the Israeli state is engaged in actions in the West Bank, where Hamas has no control, that have resulted in 55 people being killed and more than 1,100 people, as I understand it from the most up-to-date figures, being injured. Will the Tánaiste condemn those actions as breaches of international law?

There has been quite an amount of debate about the role the President of the European Commission has played. I consider the role she has played to be very regretful and disappointing. The Tánaiste outlined in his opening statement that the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy is based on the clear underpinning that the Union's action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles of the UN Charter and international law. Does he accept that the actions of Ms von der Leyen have not been consistent with that approach, and will he make a comment in that regard?