Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. It is only right and proper that this Parliament expresses its total and utter condemnation of one of the most violent periods in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East which has resulted in the death of 58 Palestinians and the injuring of thousands more. The severely disproportionate response of Israel to a legitimate protest is quite simply appalling.

In 2016 I took the opportunity to visit some of the affected areas, including Hebron, Jerusalem and along the Jordan Valley. While there I witnessed at first hand the total disparity between the quality of life of Palestinians and Israelis. I saw farm land with walls built right through it. On one side was rich, arable, good quality agricultural land while on the other side was barrenness. The vast majority of land, at approximately 93%, was under Israeli control. One of the biggest issues in the region is the lack of water. Palestinians, on average, only have access to between 20 and 30 litres of water per day which is 70 litres less than what is recommended by the World Health Organization. I also saw forced relocation and the appalling treatment of Palestinians in prison.

People ask why the Palestinians are protesting. They are protesting because of illegal borders and infringements on their property and human rights.

One of the most basic human rights is the right to water. In recent years tens of thousands of people took to the streets of this country to protest about water charges. We should not question why people are protesting when they are not even getting access to quality water. By any measure, the Israeli response was totally and utterly indefensible. It was a blatant massacre of defenceless civilians. Questions should be asked of a country that acts in this manner, flouts international law and continues to ignore UN resolutions. The Fianna Fáil Party has always respected and celebrated the establishment and progress of the state of Israel. We have never questioned the right of the Israeli people to exercise their right to self-determination and self-defence. However, this should not be done at the expense of the Palestinians. As a party, we will continue to speak up on behalf of the Palestinian people. We will use our voice on the international stage to advance a resolution. As previous speakers said, it is quite hard at this stage of the game to see how a two-state solution can be achieved.

This week marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of the state of Israel which is referred to by Palestinians as "Nakba", which means "catastrophe". For them, the anniversary marks a time when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left or were forced to flee their homes. On Monday, 14 May, the United States followed through on the decision it made in December 2017 to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Fianna Fáil does not support this hugely controversial decision. How can the United States continue to see itself as an honest broker in this conflict which has been ongoing for decades? While recent years have seen a focus on the Syrian war and refugee crisis, the Palestinian refugee crisis is one of the longest lasting cases of forced migration in modern history. The recent massacre highlights more than ever the need for an urgent international intervention. We can no longer sit by and hope the conflict will be resolved. We need a greater international intervention. It is apparent on a daily basis that Palestinians are suffering significant infringements of their human rights. Following the escalation of violence and tension in recent months, the United Nations, the European Union and other international bodies must accelerate their efforts to find an equitable solution. We need to know what came from the meeting that took place after the Tánaiste summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Government needs to live up to its "commitment to recognise the State of Palestine", as set out in the programme for Government. That needs to happen now to show the people of Palestine who are living in unbearable conditions in their homeland that people in the international community are supportive of them.

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