Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also warmly congratulate the Tánaiste on her new position. I welcome the clear and measured response she has given on the previous issue. Like others, I hope for a successful outcome.

I want to raise the conflict in the Middle East which is, once again, spiralling out of control. In the past two days, the Israeli Defence Forces have killed 50 people and wounded more than 500 in the relentless shelling of Gaza. Their claim that they are attacking Palestinian military targets is a lie. They are attacking family homes and refugee camps and killing women and children. As if this brutality is not enough, they are now threatening a full-scale military invasion of Gaza. We all know that for years the people of Gaza have been subjected to an illegal and brutal blockade. They are now being subjected to collective punishment by the Israeli Government. It is targeting women and children, and this is not acceptable. It is not acceptable either to kidnap and kill Israeli teenagers, it is not acceptable to kidnap and kill Palestinian children, and it is not acceptable for the Israeli Government to pound Gaza, one of the most densely populated places in the world, with hundreds of tonnes of explosives in a matter of days. The firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel should end immediately, but these actions cannot excuse the brutal and overwhelming military force used by the Israeli Government against what is, I repeat, a civilian population. Diplomatic pressure must be brought to bear to bring this violence to an end and to open the way for talks. What has the Irish Government done in recent days to help bring this violence to an end? Has the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade or any Minister picked up the phone to contact the Israeli ambassador or the Israeli Prime Minister directly to express the Government's outrage at the use of collective punishment against the people of Gaza?

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