Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

At times like these, I hope people see the value of our neutrality and the ability of a small nation such as Ireland to have an outsized voice that can call for de-escalation, diplomacy and peace, even when larger powers call for greater confrontation, greater militarisation and further escalation.

The Tánaiste's security forum has finished and its report has been produced. For those of us who support neutrality, its finding are just what we expected. The overwhelming majority of people support our status of neutrality. As regards the discussions, it was clear there could be no change to our neutrality as the people did not want change. Instead, therefore, it was discussed in the context of the triple lock, which was targeted. It was recognised that if that could be got rid of, it would be the thin end of the wedge.

Since those discussions, however, things have changed. We see genocide unfolding in front of our eyes. Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron was in Israel and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Macron told him he wanted to organise an international coalition to fight terrorism, just like was done in Iraq, which was called the "coalition of the willing". Only a day before that, we saw US Republican Senator Mitch McConnell say that the world now needs to confront a new axis of evil.

Can people not see what is going on? Can they not hear the same lines that were peddled two decades ago? Have they forgotten that quickly the lies and the crimes of the war on terror? It seems to me it is a case of back to the future. I listened to Israeli Government figures say that they are waging a war on terrorism and that they will fight until victory - but what is victory here? It is the annihilation of a people.

That is why we need to speak up for conflict resolution and for the just settlement of the Palestine issue and to promote peace at a time when the world is heading for a new war. We will be best placed to do that as a neutral country, as a country that many in the global south, in the Middle East and in the developing world look to and as a modern democracy, not a former colonial power. Neutrality is a force for peace, so we must protect it.

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