Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State's reply. He is correct that St. Patrick's Day is a unique opportunity for unparalleled access across the globe and is something we should be very proud of. We have an opportunity this year to promote our values. The values we are talking about are our opposition to the war in Gaza. I welcome that he said that in the event that no ceasefire is in place by St. Patrick's Day, Ministers will bring the urgent message of a ceasefire. While a temporary ceasefire is one thing, we need a permanent resolution in this area.

The military operations by Israel in recent years have been: Operation Cast Lead in 2008; Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012; Operation Protective Edge in 2014; Operation Wall Guardian in 2021; and Operation Swords of Iron now. They have resulted in tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians being killed.

Of course, we need to work towards a temporary ceasefire now to get the war to stop and get aid in to where it is necessary. We also need to work towards a permanent ceasefire, a non-military ceasefire, something akin to what we achieved on our island in Northern Ireland. However, that will not happen if the USA continues to fund the Israeli military to the extent it is doing. Before the war in Gaza, $3.1 billion was spent on military aid annually, the largest recipient of American foreign aid in the world. I welcome the Minister of State's confirmation that next week he and his colleagues will bring our message and our core values across the globe using our unique position with our St. Patrick's Day missions to try to bring about a resolution to what is going on in Gaza.

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