Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I would like to understand if it took the Taoiseach by surprise when the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan announced charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant? The first point around which they are building a case is the use of starvation of civilians as a weapon war. I really want to understand the Government's position. Like many others at the weekend, I almost fell back in astonishment when I looked at the news and saw in the Israeli ambassador, Dana Erlich, at the Famine commemoration in County Louth. This was an insult not only to the occasion but also to the 1 million Irish people who died and those who were forcefully exiled from our nation. The population has still not recovered from the latter. What happened at the weekend was an absolute abomination and I would like to know that happened. The Russian ambassador, correctly, was not there, but all the other ambassadors were. That was a political decision. Perhaps the Taoiseach will explain the basis for that decision. I understand we are about to recognise the state of Palestine, which is welcome, but surely we must go further. The time for doing so has long since passed.

The Taoiseach wrote a letter to Ursula von der Leyen highlighting issues with the EU-Israel trade agreement but he has yet to receive a response. Is he embarrassed that his candidates are out there saying that they will vote for her for the EU Commission? We have gone beyond the point of playing politics here; we need leadership.

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