Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I do not doubt the bona fides of the Government with regard to the plight of the Palestinian people. We have a good record in this country. Our history is one of being colonised and brutalised and we always have a historical context for supporting the Palestinians. That is great but we must go beyond that. What are the consequences for Israel? The first consequence should, at a minimum, be the recovery of the €625,000 sought by the UN and Ireland to compensate for the destruction of some of the buildings. The second is that the Israeli ambassador should be called in and asked why his army is doing this to people in Palestine. These are simple things.

My more substantial question is on the occupied territories Bill. The Government has failed to send out the right signal to the international community that brutality and occupation are wrong. Ireland should stand up for the Palestinian people, not with platitudes or by paying lip service, but with real deeds, namely, calling in the Israeli ambassador, recovering the moneys owed and passing the occupied territories Bill.

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