Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

That really is not good enough. This demand is part of a Trócaire campaign. It is not exactly the most radical organisation making efforts to discourage countries from trading with or investing in those companies that have connections with illegal Israeli settlements. That campaign was initiated prior to the summer slaughter of the people of Gaza and the particular targeting of children and so on. While it is the case that EU procurement practices must be followed in such contracts, the reality is that the EU, the UN and the International Court of Justice have, on numerous occasions, condemned illegal Israeli settlements.

Other countries have provided positive examples of what could be done. The Norwegian ministry of finance excluded Elbit Systems Limited, with which our Defence Forces are currently trading, from its government pension funds on the grounds of serious violations of ethical norms in which the company had been involved, namely, the provision of hardware on the wall in Gaza and in the West Bank and supplying armoury to the Israeli Defence Forces.

The Minister can do more and I would advise him to look at the Trócaire campaign to see how he can play a proactive role in this very important human rights issue.

See this speech in context