Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the wisdom of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in the work they have done and in putting forward the views of the Irish people, as they correctly saw them, at international fora. That is of great importance at a time of war. It is equally important for all of us in this House to be even-handed in the way we treat such issues. While something may seem like an atrocity to some people, it may not seem like an atrocity to somebody else. I particularly point out that, following the attack by Hamas two weeks ago in which men, women and children were slaughtered, we in this House failed to come out to the extent we should have, with the exception of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, who correctly spoke on our behalf and said what had to be said.

It is equally important to recognise that we are now in the propaganda era and that propaganda has taken over. Some of us in this House predicted that was going to happen. It has always happened. Having spent some time in that area on several occasions, I would like to think that, at this stage, I understand a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes and I strongly believe that this war has the ability to spread rapidly and without warning. It could well be coming this way because all the ingredients are there to suggest that something is about to happen that we do not know about as yet. We do not have information on that but it could have the effect of spreading the catastrophe right across the globe.

One cannot address these issues in this debate other than in a shortened way because of the need to accommodate everybody insofar as we can so all I will say is that it is now important to recognise that the blood and death of the Israelis is equal to the blood and death of the people in Gaza, without exception. It is wrong that we perpetuate war and retaliate, causing further retaliation, going on in that way unnecessarily, drawing the other side into the conflict in a way that will draw us all into it. It is wrong that should happen and that we should allow it to happen without speaking out. It is also wrong to presume it will not happen.

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