Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to speak to the Bill which I have consistently opposed as I have made clear to the various groups that support the right of Israel to defend itself against the blatant bias in organisations such as the United Nations which the Bill seeks to promote. I am aware that the Government’s position is that the matter is best dealt with at EU policy level, with all EU member states acting in a concerted manner to aid the finding of a just resolution to the ongoing crisis. It has been ongoing for a long time and is very stark. However, there are many aspects to how Israelis are treated that I find particularly disconcerting.

On Wednesday, 17 January 2018, during the debate on a Dáil motion on the review of the Irish Aid programme I asked the Tánaiste to provide details of Ireland's bilateral overseas aid funding between 2011 and 2016. There is a need for absolute clarity on where our overseas aid funding goes. In particular, we need to ensure strong governance and accountability protections are in place. I raised these matters because I was aware that some of the funding provided was being used to indirectly support non-governmental organisations with very dubious links with groups with questionable agendas. I honestly believe this to be the case.

NGO Monitor has claimed that Ireland, via its programme of overseas aid development, Irish Aid, provides millions of euros through direct and indirect funding processes for politicised non-governmental organisations operating in Ireland, Israel, on the West Bank and in Gaza. It also claims that Irish Aid is funding lead campaigns and political activities that are inconsistent with Ireland's policies to promote peace and a two-state framework in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Some of the groups also promote anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish rhetoric and have alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine which the United States, the European Union, Canada and Israel have designated as a terrorist organisation.

All of these questions and more need to be thoroughly examined. In that light, I hope it is clear why I will not support the Bill. The Jewish people, just as much as the Palestinian people, have a right to live in peace and security. We must all endeavour to ensure this. We know about our own fragile peace process and the pressure being exerted on the Good Friday Agreement at this time because of the impasse caused by Brexit and owing to the non-engagement of the two political parties.

See this speech in context