Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, issue my comhghairdeas to the Sinn Féin Party and, indeed, to Deputy Martin Kenny for bringing forward this motion. I know the Deputy has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to try to get as much support and achieve as much unanimity as possible. We had that, or as near as possible to it, in a debate here last week. As I said then, since independence, Ireland has had a proud record of being neutral country. We were recognised worldwide and our diaspora abroad was very proud of that. I salute and thank our peacekeeping forces, from those in the Congo when I was a buachaill óg right up to the present day, for the way in which they commit to and carry out their well-recognised, sterling duties of peacekeeping in very troubled areas.

Our history teaches us about the situation in Northern Ireland and the conflict from 1969 to 1998 where more than 3,000 lives were lost. One life lost because of political difference is one life too many. That is not to mention the women and children, homes, hospitals and primary care centres, and the savagery that apartheid Israel - one can call it nothing else - has perpetrated. The demolition and destruction of the Palestinian people is just mind-boggling and shocking.

We have a ceasefire, thankfully, after eight or perhaps nine days. It is a fragile peace but the guns and bombs are not going off. There is still an incremental takeover, wipe-out and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, however. This is not acceptable in a modern world. Our voice must be heard more loudly and clearly. With our seat on the UN Security Council, we must be able to be proud and find our feet again as an independent neutral nation. We must not be afraid of vested interests and global interests and not be kowtowing to European global interests.

Call it what it is - ethnic cleansing. It is an apartheid as bad as that under Mugabe in South Africa. It is nothing short of that. It must be stopped because the children and because of our children. We do not know the day or the hour when we will be in some kind of perilous situation and need small nations around the world to show empathy, courage and bravery to try to stand up for us.

I was very disappointed in the new President of America, Joe Biden, whose words were quite measly when he half-condemned Israel but then said he also recognised the situation in Israel for what it is. The Americans are obviously welded to the Israelis and are supporting their might. They are arming them and spending a fortune in that global trade of weapons of destruction. One could say weapons of mass destruction when one compares the might of Israel with the small area and small population of the Palestinian territories. They are weapons of mass destruction from that point of view.

Tá súil agam go mbeimid ábalta píosa beag a dhéanamh. I hope we will play a small part and for history to record that we did not stand idly by, as I said a week ago when quoting former Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, but that we played our part as a sovereign country and nation. We want this stopped now.

I fully support this motion and the amendments that have been tabled. I am sorry the Government did not see its way to supporting it. Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I will hand over to Deputy Connolly.

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