Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish a good evening to the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon. It is always a pleasure to interact with a constituency colleague across the floor of the Dáil. I wish it were under better circumstances. While I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this historic debate, I recognise it is historic for all the wrong reasons. I have been on the planet for 46 years but do not recall any time in that period when the world has been so tumultuous and so turned on its head. It is concerning. A major war in Ukraine has been ongoing for more than 600 days. It will enter its third year in February. There are problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We now have a major conflict in the Middle East. This is not just a normal flare up. It is for sure a seminal moment in the history of the Middle East.

I compliment all the Irish people who are working so incredibly hard for peace in the Middle East at the moment. They include our colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs and their families. We have a consulate in Ramallah and embassies in Tel Aviv and Cairo. A large number of Irish civilians are working with the UN agencies. People in the Chamber may not be aware that Ireland is over-represented, particularly in UNRWA. There are people working in Gaza right now as we are in this Chamber. The Minister of State will be aware that we have 500 troops in the region doing important work to stabilise the area and maintain humanitarian access. We have learned over the past 24 hours that their crucial role is to provide accurate, impartial and objective information to the international community, the international media and to the UN headquarters in New York.

I will dwell for a moment on the danger of social media. We have learned repeatedly over the past 24 hours that people should not be jumping to conclusions. People are under the impression that Twitter is still alive but to be clear, Twitter is dead and gone. That platform is gone and has been replaced by something much worse, that is, X. It has absolutely no moderation whatsoever. It is running completely on autopilot. It can push people down the very rabbit holes they have constructed for themselves. The information blinkers will confine people to the information that supports their narratives. People will not be presented with any information offering an alternative view. We must be very careful from that point of view. X is not designed to inform. It is designed to divide. It is designed to personalise, polarise and demonise. We must be mindful of that. It is why it is important from the points of view of foreign affairs, the UN and the military perspective that there are Irish people on the ground.

Where do we go from here? We are in a bad place. The first priority is to prevent escalation and widening of the conflict, particularly to the West Bank and Lebanon. That territory and that country have enough problems of their own without imposing a conflict on them. The first priority is to prevent escalation.

The second priority will be to promote de-escalation. I agree with Deputy Shanahan that a ceasefire is absolutely imperative. If necessary, a new UN mission to patrol and monitor the border between Gaza and Israel may be required. Perhaps that suggests a wider question. Normally when there is a destabilising event, other countries should be able to deploy troops. It is a pity there is not a reserve of UN troops somewhere in the world that would allow us to reinforce the personnel out there. That would send a strong and stabilising signal that the UN is serious.

We need a ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners, both hostages and militants. We need humanitarian access and to ensure that our citizens who wish to get out of Gaza are facilitated in doing so. We need assisted movement from that point of view. We need also to reinvigorate the wider Middle East peace process. I recognise that is very much easier said than done. It must be based on a two-state solution and the 1967 borders. There is international agreement in principle to that and we should be supportive of it.

From a short-term perspective, I agree with Deputy Shanahan that we must do everything within our power to prevent an Israeli ground invasion and incursion. It is going to be a bloodbath on the Israeli side but particularly on the Palestinian side. I recognise that the airstrikes will probably continue but we have to be clear that international humanitarian law applies to both sides. The Israelis must prevent unnecessary casualties or any casualties at all. They should not be targeting anybody if there is going to be considerable collateral damage. I have not heard anybody mention that Hamas should not be positioning military stores, people or equipment in civilian areas. Humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention apply to both sides. That is an important message to hammer home.

I sympathise with all the people who are bereaved, particularly the Irish families. I welcome the additional €13 million that the Tánaiste has announced for humanitarian aid. I wish our diplomats well in the back-channel communication that is so vital. I do not envy their task but that is all the more reason we in the Regional Group and this entire House should support their important work.

See this speech in context