Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, the Taoiseach took umbrage when I said I thought he was washing his hands on the issue of the genocide in Gaza. To be clear, the Government has made strong criticisms of the Israeli Government and it voted the right way at the United Nations but Israel has ignored that United Nations vote so more must now be done. However, the Government is not doing more. Action must be taken but the Government is not taking it.

The Taoiseach said yesterday that even the US could not do anything but that is not true. If the United States threatened to cut off all funding for Israel, that war could end quickly. The Taoiseach said there is nothing the Irish Government could do that would change Israel's mind overnight. That is obviously true but if you expel the ambassador tonight, every government in the EU would come under pressure tomorrow from the protest movements and public opinion in their countries to follow the Irish example. A raft of expulsions would constitute real pressure on Israel. It is a genocide. I repeat that the Government is not doing enough and must do more.

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