Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Palestine is burning. There are 72 people dead now in Gaza, 16 at least of whom are children and the death count is rising. This follows on from the mass expulsion of Palestinians in east Jerusalem, which amounted to ethnic cleansing, the brutal assault on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the far-right lynch mobs now roaming the streets of Israeli cities looking for Palestinians to attack. We have a situation where young people in Gaza, where 50% of the population is under the age of 18, have now experienced four military assaults in their lifetimes.

Meanwhile, we have reports this morning that the Israeli military are drawing up plans for a possible ground invasion. What is the Government going to do about this? I am aware that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, called in the Israeli ambassador and made known to him that the actions of the Israeli state are unacceptable to Ireland. I also am aware that the Irish State has sent observers to the scenes of the mass evictions in east Jerusalem. Do these actions go far enough? I believe they do not. Is it enough to merely call in the ambassador? The ambassador is the representative of a state that is pursuing a policy of systemic racism. The ambassador should be expelled and I put it to the Tánaiste that this should also be Government policy.

The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill proposed to ban the importation of Israeli goods from the occupied territories. It is relatively modest legislation that has won the support of many human rights groups. Yet the Government has refused to include it in the programme for Government. I put it to the Tánaiste that the Government should reverse that position and implement that Bill.

Last but not least, there is an arms trade between Ireland and Israel. Since 2005 some €15 million worth of military imports have been made to this State from Israel. Since 2011, Ireland has exported €6.5 million worth of military or dual-use hardware to Israel. By dual-use I mean hardware that can be relatively easily converted to a military use. For all I know or the Tánaiste knows, some of that hardware is being used right now to shed the blood of innocent Palestinian civilians.

My questions then are on the ambassador, the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill, and on the arms trade. What is the Tánaiste and his Government now prepared to do?

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