Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I asked specifically in my question if he could furnish us with copies of communications he had had with Israel, whether with the embassy here or Tel Aviv. We need to know what is being said.

The blockade has been ongoing for years and it is just getting worse. I do not doubt that the Minister has taken action. He has made public statements in the Dáil that I welcomed. However, nothing has changed; in fact, the position is getting worse. I do not condone border attacks, but the problem is the Israeli blockade and Israel's concerted policy to strangle Gaza in the most vicious and cruel way. The blockade is hitting the sick and the young. If the Minister of State had been there, he would know about the appalling conditions in which 1.7 million people are living.

When are we going to stop treating Israel as if it is just a normal state? It does major trade with this country and Europe, having favoured trade status with the European Union.

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