Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I wish to speak again. The Tánaiste just said that he regards the Bill introduced by Senator Frances Black as illegal. I assume he also regards the settlements as illegal. The Government has the opportunity to amend Senator's Black's Bill if it allows it to proceed but it seems intent on stopping the progress of any Bills from the Opposition. The Tánaiste and this Government would rather stand here, wring their hands and say nice words than do something about the illegal settlements, the torture and systemic erosion of the rights of the Palestinian people. The Tánaiste cannot say that one side is equal to the other; he cannot claim that the concerns of the Israelis are equal to the rights of the Palestinians in the face of the absolute lack of fairness and equality and the murder and genocide being perpetrated by the Israelis in Palestine. It is interesting to note that the Tánaiste did not have time to raise this issue with Vice President Pence and I assume that the Taoiseach did not have time to raise it with President Trump when he visited County Clare recently. The Government never seems to have the time or the bottle to challenge the US regime or the Israeli ambassador on the utterly illegal genocide that is not only continuing but escalating, as can be seen by the whole world. The Tánaiste said that the Irish people are very concerned and, indeed, we are, but we are sick of the hand wringing by the Tánaiste and his Government. They must take some decisive action, as they have done in the past with other states when they believed that they had breached international law.

See this speech in context