John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

Over the last few weeks, I have been looking at the emails and telephone messages I have received from constituents. A lot of the names would be familiar to me. I have never heard from them previously and never thought they would be as animated about this issue as to come forward and to put in two pages of an email what they felt about it, but they did. Over time, those numbers have grown significantly. It is not that we cannot ignore them anymore, but that they are telling a truth we do not want to listen to.

Last year, on the finance committee, we dealt with the Central Bank and the bonds. We also dealt with several other issues concerning Israel. It has taken from before the last general election until now for the Government to be brought to the point where it is using words it did not use before, even though those words are meaningless and not strong enough at all.

One of the things that came across in the course of all the emails I read was the failure of Europe to deal with this situation and the failure of Ireland - even though we are a small country in that Union - to convince those in Europe that there is a serious issue here for the country and Europe to deal with. I condemn the European Union for some of the actions it has taken and for not taking some of the actions it should have taken. What is required now is a huge effort on the part of Europe, and on the part of Ireland within Europe, to convince others that action is being demanded by the people we represent.

Nobody can condone what we see on our televisions and in the print media every day of the week. It is horrendous to think that in the modern world we can have that type of murder and mayhem going on, that we are reluctant to call it genocide and that we are reluctant to take action against another country by highlighting our views simply because we may lose economically. There are times when one has to put aside any economic advantage or consideration of any economic disadvantage and do the right thing. At the weekend, I met a lady who was upset about this whole issue, about the Government and the European Union not doing what is expected of them and that the genocide and murder continues. I do not know what it takes for this House to come together with one voice and state exactly where we stand, without any dressing up or political packaging, just to say it clearly and to encourage others to take the same position as us.

The occupied territories Bill has gone around and around. I commend Senator Black on her work in this area. We have left the legislation and long-fingered it for far too long. Services need to be included in the Bill. Let it be taken to whatever court anyone might want and challenged in whatever way it has to be, but we need to make this very definite statement as a country to ensure our voice and the voices of the people we represent are heard. I read deep disappointment in the emails and communications to me. People feel they are being overlooked and not being heard and that we are playing to the gallery in relation to the bigger group within the European Union. The time has come; people would like to see democracy in action. They would like to see the European Union listening to them, for once, and they would like to see the Members of the European Parliament coming together with the countries they represent and making this statement that is now urgently required.

It is shocking to think the great powers in this world - bigger powers than Ireland certainly - and the collective power of the European Union have not achieved a free track of supply of humanitarian aid to where it is most needed. We can argue about who is right and who is wrong in relation to what is happening, but the bottom line is that it is not the fault of the women, children and men we see being murdered on our television screens. Whatever is going on, it should be put aside. Permission should be given for the humanitarian aid to pass freely to where it is needed. Because we are not getting that direction from America, the European Union needs to take that strong hand. While there is still time to do it, I hope that Ireland will correct its pretty weak position, take a strong leadership role within the European Union and do the right thing on behalf of the citizens of this country.

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