Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I take the Deputy's point. There is a genuine view in Germany in respect of its relationship with Israel that I would say transcends economic issues and is rooted in the historic position of the Holocaust and Germany's role in the Holocaust. Many current leaders, and, indeed, those before, including Chancellors Merkel and Scholz, from different ends of the political spectrum, would be clear about protecting what they perceive, correctly in my view, the exceptionality of the Holocaust. It influences their thinking and responses to even contemporary issues. Equally, I take the Deputy's point that that cannot justify what is happening in the West Bank and in Gaza, the need for a two-state solution and a cessation of all violence and war in the region.

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