Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is good to see Danny. I welcome Katie, his mom, and Ruth, who are also here today. It is great to see young people coming into the House. This House does not belong to the Government or to the Opposition but to the people of Ireland. It is always lovely to see younger members of our citizenry coming in here.

I welcome the debate we are having here this afternoon on the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy. I thank the Tánaiste for leading out on it. It is very important. Nothing remains static. Like the Tánaiste, I taught history in a classroom for many years and the chapter I dreaded opening in front of children when we reached it every April or May was the chapter relating to the Holocaust period and the death of 6 million Jews. At the time, Ireland remained fully neutral and tiptoed along that line. However, when you read out that section and talk about the death of 6 million people - and there have unfortunately been many genocides since - you see the young people wondering whether Ireland did enough. The approach taken in more recent years, an approach of military neutrality, is far more sensible.

We have to have an opinion on what is happening in the wider world and when ISIS is slaughtering people. We also have to have an opinion on the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel and to have an opinion on and condemn the response of the Israel Defense Forces in the following four weeks. There is a lot going on globally. Ireland is now pitching itself as a very proud member of the United Nations and a country that is militarily neutral and that is not aligned to NATO but which is very happy to play an important role in crisis management and in offering a sensible position at the United Nations Security Council and in humanitarian missions. That is the way. As a member of Fianna Fáil, that is certainly the vision for our country I would like to see realised over the coming decades.

The option of sitting on our hands and saying nothing unfortunately evaporated long ago. We now need to have a position on things and I am glad that Ireland has been the most out there in condemning what is happening in Gaza and the slaughter of innocent people, despite what some in this Chamber might say. As I said here a few weeks ago, an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Unfortunately, that is what happening. We have seen 6,000 young people killed and hospitals are being bombed. It is atrocious.

I will hit on a few points that have already been mentioned in this debate. The two motions voted on here last week were quite divisive and have led to a deluge of correspondence coming into all of our constituency offices. I will put on record that, as a Government backbencher, I am not very happy with the commentary of the Israeli ambassador, Ms Erlich, in recent weeks. I do not like certain aspects of her tone. However, I do place a value on diplomacy at a time when 40 Irish citizens are stuck in Gaza and when young Emily Hand, who just celebrated her ninth birthday last weekend, is still held hostage. It is highly important that we have diplomatic lines open and I commend the Tánaiste on taking time to go to Egypt and lead out on those diplomatic efforts. This is a time when we need dialogue. Had we followed through on that motion's request to expel the Israeli ambassador, it would have automatically led to the expulsion of our ambassador in Israel. God only knows where poor Emily Hand is at this time. I have great sympathy for her family in everything they are enduring at this time. There are also 40 other families who do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead or where they are. That is a time when you need dialogue and diplomacy.

Last week, I partook in a Zoom meeting with other politicians from across Europe. We spoke about allegations of war crimes and all that we are seeing every night on TV. There were certain other Irish parliamentarians in the meeting and the way they portrayed Ireland was atrocious. They spoke as if we were complicit in acts of war.

We are the most outspoken nation in Europe and the world on this conflict. We stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, which is very different to being in solidarity with Hamas. We stand in solidarity with the suffering people of Palestine. We condemn what happened on 7 October and we condemn the war that has ensued ever since because it is humanity that is suffering. It is innocent people who are paying the ultimate price.

The consultative forum dealt with other areas. There were experts from the civilian world present, as well as experts from the military world, including in peacekeeping, crisis management and international humanitarian law. The other wing of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Irish Aid, is a good vehicle for the country to express Ireland's will in the wider world and to support nations that are oppressed and enduring famine, hardship and medical crisis. That really shone through during the Covid pandemic.

I note that the forum also dealt with the realm of cyber threats. This has repeatedly come before the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications and I note that a robust unit is being developed, on foot of what happened with the awful HSE cyberattacks. Cybersecurity is another form of warfare, which is what it has often been called by IT experts. It is a type of warfare used to undermine the network of a country. In this regard we should be building capacity beyond our shores and working with partners in Europe. The more depth, knowledge, understanding and expertise we can have, on a pan-European basis, when it comes to cybersecurity, the better. We should not be pursuing that front in isolation.

I ask the Minister to answer the following point when he is wrapping up, if possible. I have a small question on the Aer Corps Museum in Baldonnel. There are suggestions that the hangars there are no longer large or fit enough to accommodate some of the display and that some of it might go out of public display for the foreseeable future. Is there anything that can be done on that? There is incredible equipment there. Aviation nuts like me and many more people love to see the old aircraft and equipment that so loyally served our country for many years on display and we want to see it remain there for a long time to come.

I see Ireland remaining militarily neutral. I see Ireland not being aligned but being forthright in expressing our worldview. Our worldview is unfortunately shaped by years of occupation, of rule as part of an empire. That is a voice of reason, understanding and compassion that we have brought internationally and long may it continue.

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