Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

It is a clear question. Is the Minister in favour of an arms embargo on Israel? That is what Amnesty International recommends. Is the Minister in favour of it or not? He made a clear statement earlier that the Government is on the side of Ukraine against Russia. That is okay. I am also for the defeat of the Russian invasion in Ukraine and for its repulsion by the Ukrainian people. Will the Minister make a similar statement about Palestine and say the Irish Government is on the side of the Palestinian people against the Israeli state?

I ask the Minister to make a similar statement. He is saying there is nothing stopping us and that is not what neutrality is about and so on. Let us make such a statement and as part of that let us say that it is horrendous to have an arms trade with a racist and apartheid state that is guilty of killing 9,000 Palestinian civilians in the past two decades, including 1,000 children. Let us speak out against that and take the side of the oppressed as opposed to the oppressor. Is the Minister in favour of an arms embargo? Will he clearly say that the Irish State is on the side of the Palestinians against Israeli oppression?

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