Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am blue in the face acknowledging it but what we are asking for is action that is proportionate. The Taoiseach is talking about wanting the EU to use every lever available to it and that is precisely what I am asking him to do. There actions we can take as a sovereign State, while the EU has not come round to the very obvious breach of the human rights clauses in the EU-Israel trade agreement. Months ago the Taoiseach's predecessor, Deputy Varadkar, wrote to Ursula von der Leyen seeking a review of the EU-Israel trade agreement and she did not even reply to the letter. She is someone who gave Israel her unqualified support for its war crimes and yet the Taoiseach is happy to recommend the re-election of this person as the European Commission President. Does he really think that Fine Gael MEPs and candidates in the European election are representing their voters on this issue?

When international institutions fail, it is up to independent states to take a stronger stance. The Taoiseach said that his Government cannot introduce the occupied territories Bill because of legal advice which he promised to show us last week but which we have not seen yet. What of the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill? What of the diplomatic status of the Israeli ambassador? What about all of these levers that are available to the Taoiseach? He is calling the EU out and saying that it is not using the levers available to it but what is he going to do about the things that are available to him now?

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