Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)

Let us be very clear: the attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023 were simply barbaric. However, Israel's response has been called out for what it is, which is simply genocide. There has been the killing of journalists, medics, humanitarians and people of all ages, but the indiscriminate killing of children can only be described as the most horrific crime of our era.

I am lucky enough to be on the foreign affairs committee. We have met stakeholders from all sides, including the ambassador from Palestine, Senator Frances Black and people from the Jewish community, and we dissected everything they had to say. There was one box that was not ticked for me, however, in that I had not met anybody on the ground in Gaza. A few months ago, therefore, I paid my own way to get on an aeroplane to Egypt, where I set up meetings with representatives of NGOs. I went to a fabulous big shopping centre because they felt it would be the safest place to meet me. I sat down with them and discussed what was going on. Number one, they told me that they recognised the work Ireland is doing and, number two, they told me stories of what was happening to Palestinian people on a day-to-day basis. They spoke of a lady living in a tent with her family in what is a concentration camp whose job was to go and get the wood. The job of the father and son was to go and get the food. Many of those fathers and sons never returned. They were living in sweltering heat, listening to bombs morning, noon and night. I said it here yesterday that what I took out of those meetings was how those young people will be in the years to come. They will be angry young men and women. Let us not forget that there is little or no education available to them. The medical system is hanging on by a thread. To grow up in that environment is simply horrific.

At the committee, we asked what the Palestinian people need. Number one was a ceasefire. We do not know what will happen with the proposal currently on the table. All we can do is hope and pray. To make any agreement, as everybody knows, all parties have to be around the table. The second thing they want is recognition. To be fair, the Government, on behalf of the people of Ireland, was one of the first to stand up for the Palestinian people. It was great to be there last week to see 81% of UN members now recognising Palestine. Number three is they want us to look at the EU-Israel trade agreement. This is a huge stumbling block and where we have completely let down the people of Palestine. The EU has to look at itself and we have to look at our position. If we are not strong enough to make a decision on what has happened in Gaza over the past two years, we have a problem.

The last thing was the reconstruction. We can talk about reconstructing properties and medical services, but what about the reconstruction of the young people? Based on my visit there, they will need help. That must not be ruled out.

The very first time I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, was at committee level. I said that how we handle this crisis will define us. I stand over those words today. I ask him the same thing today, as I ask him every day. We took the lead. Let us not take our foot off the pedal.

See this speech in context