Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have witnessed one of the most violent periods in the Middle East conflict. The violence has resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians and left thousands of others injured. Frankly, it is appalling. The number of deaths shows that there is a need for an urgent international intervention. As other Deputies said, this week marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of the state of Israel which is referred to by Palestinians as the "Nakba", which means "catastrophe". The decision of the United States to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was ill judged. All of these factors have resulted in a significant increase in the level of deadly violence and tension in the region.

The decision of the US to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has resulted in a significant increase in deadly violence and tension in the region. We have the US President and the Israeli Prime Minister telling us it is a great day for them and for the world - extraordinary statements from people who clearly have blood on their hands. The United States, once the great brokers of peace in this conflict, have now only exacerbated it. Now the difficulty is that they cannot be negotiators of peace.

The disproportionate use of force by Israeli forces is only serving to compound the situation. Fianna Fáil fully supports the calls for an independent investigation into those incidents. At this juncture, peace seems to be an aspiration that is unlikely to be fulfilled. The situation is becoming increasingly untenable. It is therefore imperative that the Irish Government, the EU and the international community redouble their efforts to restart this peace process. Fianna Fáil 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, coupled with this our party has long advocated and supported a two-state solution in the Middle East, although I acknowledge that it may be difficult to achieve given the crossroads we are at. When in government, Fianna Fáil led Ireland to be the first EU member state to declare that the solution to the conflict in the Middle East had to be based on a fully sovereign state of Palestine, independent and coexisting with Israel. My party is deeply frustrated about the lack of progress in advancing peace talks, the continued expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands, which are illegal under international law, and the deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza and the West Bank. This simply cannot be allowed to continue.

Ireland has a long interest in the challenges in the Middle East and we have always acted out of the experience of our own troubled history and out of our overriding respect for and belief in human rights for all people across the world. Successive Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Trade have consistently spoken in favour of a peaceful, equitable and lasting settlement in the Middle East. We have to be deeply concerned about the plight of men, women and children. Children have been brutally killed. It is in everybody's interests to try to bring this terrible conflict to an end.

While recent years have seen a focus on the Syrian war and refugee crisis, the Palestinian refugee crisis is one of the biggest lasting cases of forced migration in modern history. Today there are millions of Palestinians living in exile from homes and lands their families had inhabited for generations. They are without a state. Many still suffer the legacy of their dispossession, destitution and insecurity. Human rights violations including house demolitions, land confiscation, forced displacement, restrictions of movement and violence against civilians occur on a regular basis. Approximately 70% of Gaza's 1.9 million people rely on humanitarian assistance. The blockade on land, air and sea imposed by Israel following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, which is exacerbated by Egypt keeping its own border with Gaza largely sealed, continues to have a devastating effect as access to markets and people's movement to and from the Gaza Strip remain severely restricted. This is a deep crisis and I urge the Government to do everything it can to try to stop this terrible violence, which is causing outrage and devastation to the Palestinian people.

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