Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not accept that our troops are being used as pawns or cover for what is going on in the Golan Heights. I am not going to get into the rights and wrongs of what is happening but this is a United Nations-mandated mission set up since 1974. I have been assured by the Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces that all security measures are in place for our troops. Our troops are in the region on a mandated peacekeeping mission. I visited them recently. They are doing a very fine job on the mission that has been assigned to them by Government. We can get into the rights and wrongs of the issue but I want to reiterate that the participation of members of the Irish Defence Forces is for peacekeeping duties. That is the role assigned to them by the UN and by Government.

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