David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will wait until the next round of questions to deal with Brexit.

I also want to raise the issue of Gaza with the Taoiseach. Everybody here accepts that what happened in Gaza over recent weeks is completely unacceptable. It goes beyond simply people being killed. It was a slaughter. It was state murder and state assassination of citizens. Far too often, we have had statements in the House on Gaza where people come in and give plenty of sympathy on what is happening to the people of Palestine and the people of Gaza. In 2015 and 2016, when we had similar attacks and when residents of Gaza were being slaughtered, we came in and offered sympathy and talked but we know from our own experience in this State and on our island that what is necessary in the Middle East and in Palestine is a peace process. We can only have a peace process if it is underpinned by justice and if the conditions are created to allow that peace process to prosper. Obviously the incendiary move by the US President, Donald Trump, to open an embassy in Jerusalem has certainly made that all the more difficult. The response from the Israeli State to legitimate protests also makes it all the more difficult. One of the things we can do, and this is my question to the Taoiseach, is to act on the will of this Parliament, which is to recognise formally the state of Palestine. This has been put to the Taoiseach time and again and he has never given us a satisfactory answer as to why it cannot be done. It is an act of solidarity we can take. We also know from our own experience that previous American Administrations took many risks and went against the advice of British Governments in supporting a peace process. International solidarity and acts of solidarity can work and are important. It would be a wise move for the Government to take.

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