Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Ireland's long-standing concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza is well known. The slight relaxation in the blockade in the past year has been completely insufficient. We recognise that Israel is entitled to prevent the transport of weapons and genuinely military materials into Gaza, and to check cargoes in this context, but other goods should not be impeded. Along with our EU partners, we continue to press for a full opening up of the border crossings into Gaza to allow unimpeded flows of humanitarian aid, and normal commercial and human traffic.

We will continue to press the Israeli Government to do all possible to facilitate those wishing to transport humanitarian goods to Gaza, and in particular to avoid any repetition of the unacceptable use of force against last year's flotilla. I recognise the essentially humanitarian motivations which gave rise to last year's Gaza flotilla, and also to the further flotilla now being planned. However, my Department's essential advice remains that people should not attempt to sail to Gaza, and certainly should not attempt to break through a naval blockade of the kind which Israel has imposed on Gaza. I am deeply concerned that there is real potential for a similar disastrous outcome this year. I cannot support a project which would involve Irish citizens engaging in actions which could lead them into danger. The United Nations Secretary General ban has also called on Governments to discourage such flotillas, which clearly have the potential to escalate into violence.

Finally, the port of Gaza can never handle more than a fraction of the territory's needs, so the only real solution is the full opening of the land crossing points. I repeat the EU's call on Israel to do that, so that there would be no need for actions such as the planned flotilla.

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