Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before the Dáil broke for the summer I put down a question relating to some Irish fishermen in Gaza and their experience of the Israel Defence Forces and navy. The Oslo agreement set the fishing zone at 20 nautical miles but that has been reduced by the Israeli Government. Does the Tánaiste accept it is important in terms of food and nutrition that the people of Gaza have access to the sea? The latest difficulty has Egyptian authorities blocking ships that drift into the area, which is also not helping. There have been attacks in the past and subsequent arrests, so does this signal a new era for Egyptian authorities? I heard the comments regarding the closure of many of the tunnels. Will the Irish Government condemn the Egyptian decision to close the Rafah crossing? Is this indicating a new direction for Egyptian authorities, which will worsen the stranglehold on the Gazan people?

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