Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State and I will both agree that Syria is in a terrible situation with 3.3 million refugees, 5.5 million displaced within the country and another 3 million who have left the country to look for work. This amounts to approximately 12 million people in total. The people are starving with four out of five people said to be living in dire poverty and suffering hunger.

It is very difficult to know what Ireland can do but one thing we should encourage is the realisation that there will not be a military solution to the crisis. All the turmoil started out of the bombing of Iraq beginning in 2003 which in turn led to civil war in Iraq between Sunni and Shia and the creation of ISIS. The recent bombing campaign by the US in Iraq and Syria is unlikely to help the situation. The flow of arms from western allies and from the Saudis through Turkey into Syria will not help things. There will not be a military solution. We must encourage the US to sit down with the Russians and the Iranians to stop the massacre and the violence because it is too horrific for words. Those parties are the most powerful and they can make a difference. The work must be towards securing a truce.

While work towards achieving a truce in Syria is worthwhile, the flow of arms to Israel must stop and Palestine must be recognised as a state in its own right. Much of the trouble in the Middle East emanates from the problems in Palestine and these problems will continue until justice is achieved for the Palestinians.

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