Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)

Our witnesses are very welcome. I am conscious that Dr. Nuseibah needs to leave the meeting at 5 p.m., so time is of the essence. I am happy to limit my questions on the basis that my colleagues wish to put questions to him before he leaves. I thank him for being here today. I also thank him for the intellectual and legal clarity he has brought to the debate. We did not need moral or ethical clarity because we have it, but Dr. Nuseibah has brought a welcome intellectual clarity, as has Ms Mahony. I thank them. We are appreciative.

It seems that the Central Bank of Ireland is confusing its independence on financial and monetary matters with the actual responsibilities and obligations it has in the context of Ireland being a signatory to the Genocide Convention, other matters of international law, including treaties, and international legal norms. Regardless of where each of us sits on the political spectrum - left, right or centre - we pride ourselves on being a State with a commitment to multilateralism and international solidarity. That is common across the political spectrum. There are, however, clear differences of opinion on the Central Bank's position, what some people think it ought to do and what it can do. We have different views on that issue. I thank the witnesses for the clarity they have brought to the situation. It is clarity that, based on similar advice I received, was not required by me in any case.

Dr. Nuseibah may not have had the chance to look in detail at the comments made by the Governor of the Central Bank before the committee last week. During questioning from me, he went further than he had previously, to the best of my recollection, in some of the responses and remarks he made in the context of the potential Irish reconsideration of any application that may come before the Central Bank over the next few weeks as the current prospectus expires. The Central Bank will be required to renew it, if requested to do so, by 1 September. I asked him what kinds of questions he will be asking the Israeli state and system. He mentioned something important. He said he will be asking questions, for example, around the financial stability and risk of the Israeli state. Given the genocidal operation in which it is involved, it clear to everybody that there will inevitably be a financial risk to the stability of the Israeli state on the basis of what is happening at the moment and what it is involved in. That is a significant thing for someone from the Central Bank, who is not prone to political expression, to say. Does Dr. Nuseibah think that in itself is significant?