Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all the words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes the ceasefire deal in Gaza and the release of hostages that has taken place to date;

urges all parties to ensure full implementation of all phases of this agreement and commends the effort of stakeholders for their ongoing efforts as facilitators;

deplores the loss of so many civilian lives, in Gaza and in Israel;

recalls that this House has condemned the brutal attacks by Hamas in Israel on 7th October, 2023, and has emphasised that the taking of hostages is unconscionable;

reiterates its call for the urgent scaling up of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza and the need to ensure its safe and unhindered distribution;

underlines the indispensable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and stresses that no other United Nations (UN) Agency or actor has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA's unique mandate and experience in delivering humanitarian assistance, and in delivering education, health services and relief and social services in Gaza, the West Bank and across the region;

expresses its grave concern at the entry into force of Israeli legislation on UNRWA, which will have far-reaching consequences for UNRWA's operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Gaza;

emphasises the need to support the Palestinian Authority in returning to a governance role in Gaza and welcomes that the United Nations Security Council, in its Resolution 2735 of 10th June, 2024, reiterated its unwavering commitment to the two-state solution and stressed the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority;

in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2735, rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza;

expresses its belief that there can be no sustainable peace in the Middle East until the Israeli and Palestinian peoples alike can realise the same rights to self-determination, statehood, peace, security and dignity;

reiterates its support for the two-state solution based on 1967 borders, with the State of Israel, and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign, and viable State of Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states;

deplores the record levels of settlement expansion, settler violence and displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank;

underlines the requirement of all parties to comply with their obligations under international law;

welcomes the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 19th July, 2024;

welcomes the launch of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution the UN General Assembly in September 2024 and related follow-up within this framework;

welcomes that a Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions will be convened by Switzerland in March of this year on the protection of civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory;

welcomes the convening by the UN in June of this year of a High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia;

recalls that:

— Ireland's approach is grounded in respect for international law and support for the two-state solution;

— Ireland has demonstrated clear and consistent leadership at European Union (EU) and international level on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;

— close coordination with international partners, notably within the EU and also with our Arab partners, is indispensable to these efforts;

— in May 2024, Ireland recognised the State of Palestine, doing so in coordination with several other partners in order to build momentum behind efforts to implement the two-state solution; and

— in light of the July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice and the subsequent advice of the Attorney General, the Government decided to review the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 [Seanad] working with Senator Frances Black and that the Government's analysis was that substantive amendments would be required to most, if not all, of the Bill's provisions in order to bring it in line with the Constitution and to try to reduce the risk of EU infringement procedures; and

agrees that:

— the Government will progress legislation prohibiting goods from Occupied Palestinian Territories following the July 2024 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion;

— the Government will, in parallel, continue to press for action at the EU level in light of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion;

— the urgent focus of Ireland, the EU and the international community must be on ensuring the full and successful implementation of all phases of the ceasefire and hostage release deal;

— at this sensitive and critical juncture, the Government will continue to prioritise concrete policies and actions that contribute to improving the situation on the ground, and keeping momentum towards a sustainable peace based on the two-state solution;

— the Government will continue to work with likeminded partners, the EU and the international community to protect the indispensable role and mandate of UNRWA;

— the Government will continue to work closely with European and Arab partners on implementing the two-state solution, including through close engagement with the work of the Global Alliance and the UN High-level International Conference in June; and

— the Government will continue to support, at national and EU level, the Palestinian Authority in reforming and building its institutional capacity."

I say to Deputies opposite that we must also be lawful in what we do.

We must also be honest in what we do. We must also not selectively quote comments made by my predecessor in this position, the Taoiseach, when he attended the foreign affairs committee. I will get to that in a moment. I welcome Senator Black to the Gallery and congratulate her on her re-election. I look forward to meeting her in the coming days. I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire and congratulate him on his appointment. I look forward to working with him.

Tonight is an important opportunity to update the House on developments in Gaza and the Middle East since the Dáil was last in session. This must be one of the only chambers in the world where the opposition would assert that the Government of Ireland has not been on the side of the people of Palestine, human rights and international law. Ask the Spanish Government, the Norwegian Government, the Slovenian Government, the members of the European Council, the President of Palestine, the Prime Minister of Palestine and the ambassador of Palestine whether they believe the Government of Ireland, on behalf of the people of Ireland, has stood up for international law, human rights and the right of the Palestinian people to the self-determination of their future and to live in a state of their own, alongside the State of Israel, in peace and security. It is only the Opposition that seeks to suggest that the Government of Ireland does not stand with the people of Palestine. The people of Ireland know that. We hear lofty phrases such as "any government on the side of humanity". This Government is on the side of humanity. We also represent the people of Ireland. Sinn Féin does not have any sort of monopoly on that and it must be exhausting suggesting it does.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. I do so knowing how deeply the people of this country care about what they are witnessing, what they have been witnessing for many years in the Middle East and what they have been witnessing since 7 October 2023. I believe it is their wish that we in the Oireachtas should work together on these matters and that we should look at all of the levers that we can pull as a country to help to bring about a lasting peace. I believe they welcome many of the actions we have taken to date.

Rather than being divisive in our language, there is broad agreement on many of the fundamental issues that need to be addressed in Ireland's overarching approach. However, the motion tabled today does not reflect the track record of sustained and principled action by the Irish Government on this issue. The motion is also fundamentally inaccurate. I note for the official Dáil record that a paragraph of the motion relating to a meeting of the Oireachtas Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence on 5 November 2024 incorrectly attributes comments to officials in my Department. These comments were in fact made, surely in good faith, by an adviser to Senator Black who was invited to intervene by the Chair of the committee.

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