Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

The Deputy is right; this is genocidal activity. There are no two ways about it. The Israeli Government is rather upfront and blunt in outlining its military and political objectives for Gaza, which are abhorrent and clear breaches of international law. As I have been saying, and as I want to continue to say, the Irish people have, through their taxes, sent a significant amount of aid to the people of Palestine. That aid has been effectively, not to be flippant, parked in Jordan for the last four months. It is enough food for 6,000 Palestinian people. That is only a number of trucks out of the overall international contribution to this - all sitting there. There is only one reason and one reason alone that food cannot get in today, namely, the decision of the Israeli Government. We need to take more action. What I did say, and I mean it sincerely, is that I will engage constructively with the Labour Party on the proposals it is bringing forward - the earlier the better - as I know it will. I will also meet today with Senator Frances Black in terms of our own proposals to bring forward legislation regarding the occupied Palestinian territory. I hope to be in a position to update the Government and this House on that next week.

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