Mr. ?amonn Meehan:

Sure. In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, it is absolutely true that Israel has up to now led a charmed life as a member of the international community.

In votes of the UN General Assembly in recent months, three quarters of member states have voted in favour of ceasefires on more than one occasion. The obstacle, however, is the UN Security Council and, in particular, the United States but also, occasionally, other members of the Security Council, namely, Britain and France, which persist in support for Israel and its policies, and the policies of Israel today are scarcely different from the policies of Israel five, ten, 15 or 50 years ago. Political expediency is at play here, not least in terms of the US, how election cycles happen there and from whom candidates need to generate support if they are to be elected. There is no doubt about that. Moreover, within the European Union, in Germany, Austria, France or Italy, for instance, issues relating to their history are clearly at play.

There is a fracturing in the international system around Israel and Gaza. Ireland has a choice. We can continue to stay well hidden in the pack and continue rhetorical criticisms of Israel and rhetorical support for the people of Gaza and Palestine, or we can take action, do something and legislate. This is the ideal opportunity. As Deputy Brady said, Dáil Éireann is entirely free to deal with this issue of divesting from enterprises operating in Israeli settlements. We do not need to refer to Brussels or the European Union. It is entirely a matter for Dáil Éireann, and I hope Dáil Éireann is up to the challenge on that.