Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I agree with much of what Deputy Higgins has outlined. The size of the population of children in Gaza is striking. The sight of children everywhere is one of the most immediately visible scenes there. What is more alarming is the number of malnourished children. In spite of the outstanding work by UNRWA the basic food supplies it makes available are not sufficient to deal with the issue. There is also a great thirst for education among families in Gaza for their children. If given half a chance society in Gaza would develop strongly and effectively.

There is no need for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. It is an indictment of the international community that it continues. We must continue to maintain the pressure and to highlight the humanitarian situation in order to get the blockade lifted so as to allow for the provision of basic needs such as food, security and water. According to the WHO, 90% of the water is not potable. The sewage going into the sea is appalling. The list goes on. UNRWA is holding the line and doing heroic work on a range of indices, not just humanitarian but in education and civil society to maintain moderation, a secular outlook on life and to stop the spread of fundamentalism. It requires the continued and consistent support of the international community.

Deputy Higgins made a point about the importance of a secretariat or a mechanism to bank the product of earlier negotiations. The basic issues are well known for more than 20 years. Part of the difficulty is that the talks are starting afresh yet again in the aftermath of the Annapolis process and the Olmert-Abbas talks. Nothing has been banked from preceding negotiations. That is not an acceptable position. Given the political volatility in the region it is a recipe for continued fragmentation and incapacity to reach a sustainable agreement. The two fundamental lessons to be learned from Northern Ireland are that first, there was a degree of continuity from the two Governments. Second, there was a political will for peace and to find a solution on behalf of all the parties at the table in Northern Ireland. It is open to question whether that exists in the Middle East in terms of all parties, but especially in terms of the position held by the Israeli Government.

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