Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I have explained earlier on a number of occasions the Government's position on the ICC and also about the need to keep diplomatic relations open with Israel through its embassador. Deputy Alan Farrell spoke about what we can do at an EU level. It is fair to say that the European Union is not united when it comes to the conflict in Israel and Palestine. It is such a contrast to where we are on Ukraine. A lot of that comes from the historical perspective that many of the European countries have and we have to understand that. Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic come from a very particular point of view given their history; countries that have experienced Islamic terrorism come at it from a particular perspective in a way that we would not because we have not had that experience, or at least not anything close to their experience; and we come from the experience of a country that understands what being denied self-determination is like for a very long period of time. I am glad we are at the table. We have been able to influence EU policy because we are at the table. Far from cutting or suspending aid to Palestine, aid has been trebled. We have the position where all European countries now agree that there should, at the very least, be humanitarian pauses, and we have agreement that all 27 member states advocate a two-state solution. I am somewhat encouraged by what I have been hearing from leaders of some of the larger countries in the past couple of days: President Macron unequivocally calling for a ceasefire not just pauses, President Biden raising real concerns around what is happening around the hospitals in Gaza and Prime Minister Sunak very clearly talking about the need for Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law, but particularly mentioning what has been happening in the West Bank. The West Bank is not controlled by Hamas and it is not particularly active there, yet Palestinians, including children, are being killed there and Prime Minister Sunak has brought particular attention to the violence there which cannot just be blamed on Hamas.

Regarding the future EU role, there is a role for the European Union in Gaza when the current phase of the conflict is over. There is a role for us as the European Union in demanding a two-state solution. As I have said earlier, we have been far too keen to trade with Israel as a European Union without demanding that it respects human rights and enables the creation of a Palestinian state. We have been far too willing to aid Palestine - we are its biggest donor - and we have not assisted on human rights, democracy and the defeat of terrorism. That is something that the EU, as 27 members states, can perhaps unite around and take united action. Due to not being united now we are really not at the table as a European Union. That is the truth of it and that is not a good place for anyone to be in.

Deputy Durkan asked about the United Nations. As everyone in the House will know, I am a big supporter of the United Nations. It gets a lot of criticism but we need to just look at the work that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, is doing on the ground in Palestine. What sort of lives would Palestinians have were it not for that agency? Look at the work we do in the Golan Heights and in south Lebanon through the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon, UNIFIL, and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, in keeping the peace. Look at all the work the World Health Organization did during the pandemic, and in fighting HIV-AIDS. The UN Security Council does not work because of the veto power of the five permanent members and because the composition of the council represents the world as it was in 1945, not as it is now. This urgently needs to be reformed and we have made that case on a number of occasions.

In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, I believe any State, and that includes Israel, has the right to self-defence when its civilians are attacked, and that is what happened on 7 October, but what is happening in Gaza is beyond self-defence. It constitutes collective punishment. I said so, and was one of the first to say so, and I stand over that. I also believe Palestinians have the right to resist occupation; of course they do.

All of us in this House deplore what is happening to children in Gaza at the hands of the IDF. It is deeply wrong and deeply unacceptable. But we should not forget, and it does not make it okay by the way - I am concerned that people are already forgetting - what Hamas did to children in Israel. It went out of its way to kill and torture as many children as possible and kidnapped others, including one Irish citizen, Emily Hand. We should always remember that the lives of all children are equal. When we talk about the lives of Palestinian children, which we should, we should not forget what happened to the Israeli children too and what is still happening to those children in the tunnels in Gaza.

Deputy Ó Murchú asked specifically about High Representative Borrell. I do not believe we had any input into that particular statement. We, of course, do contribute to EU Council statements. Deputy Ó Murchú also mentioned the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, who is somebody whose loss I deeply mourn. I listened only the other day to one of the last speeches he made. He talked about how the occupation and the violence itself would undermine Israeli democracy and security in the medium term and I think he was right.

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