Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is the strategy we have been following. We engage with the neighbourhood, which is particularly important, including Jordan and Egypt, as well as with the United States.

9 o’clock

The issue has to be raised in terms of the engagement of the United States of America and the European Union with Israel. There are very serious issues arising around the behaviour and the performance of this Israeli Government, not least with its internal situation around judicial reforms and political control of the Judiciary, which run counter to European Union values. We have those issues within Europe too with regard to the rue of law and we take particular stances on them. It would seem to me to be a logical follow-through that given what is happening in Israel the EU has to take more than just a note of that. Our actions into the future and the relationship between the European Union and Israel will have to reflect the absolute disagreement with the approach this Israeli Government has taken on a number of fronts. The comments by Mr. Smotrich are shocking and give an indication of what a significant proportion of that Government believes. It is a racist comment and I believe it is also more than that; it is an incitement to violence. It suggests an endorsement of what happened in Huwara. If one reads the details it was a shocking violation of the dignity of the civilians-----

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