Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On 22 October, Fianna Fáil proposed a motion calling on the Government to recognise Palestine formally as an independent and sovereign state. The motion was passed by Seanad Éireann, having been unanimously accepted because of the careful work of colleagues in that House. I will take this opportunity to acknowledge the dedication, commitment and, above all, action of Senator Power in securing the type of consensus that was required to ensure sufficient support for the motion.

The motion before the Dáil reflects the motion that was presented to the Seanad on 22 October. Unlike in the Seanad, however, the movers of this motion - Sinn Féin - did not seek to build the type of consensus that was required to see its implementation. It is unfortunate that Sinn Féin has tried to engage in a political trick by tabling this motion while failing to build on the momentum of the consensus in the Seanad. It has endangered that opportunity. The Government could have opposed it, meaning we could have been the first country in the EU to reject a proposal of this sort. It was dangerous not to pursue a cross-party approach to get this across the line in the interests of the people of Palestine.

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