Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)

I add my condemnation to the horrendous attacks that have happened outside the synagogue in Manchester.

As the Tánaiste knows, the world has looked on at the horror that has happened for the last two years in Gaza and the fact that over 60,000 men, women and children have been murdered. Dozens of men, women and children are being murdered daily. Bombs are being dropped on schools, tents, religious locations and churches, hospitals and asylum centres. The level of destruction and murder that has been happening in Gaza for the last two years is absolutely horrendous.

This flotilla is a significant tool for focusing light on that horrendous situation. Israel has been at pains to tell us that there is no genocide, that there is no blockade of food and that they are not stopping aid getting into the region. Those lies were never credible but they are certainly not credible after today. We express our solidarity with all those who have been detained. The idea that 500 lawyers, activists and parliamentarians have been involved in this is an incredible feat. The flotilla was intercepted in international waters. That is a clear breach of international law. It is another example of Israel operating as a rogue state. It is an act of aggression against the countries under which flags those boats were travelling. It is incredible that we have had such a serious act of aggression against Ireland.

There are 15 Irish citizens in the custody of the Israel Defense Forces, IDF, at the moment. It is incredible that the Israeli foreign minister, in a post on Twitter, labelled those involved in the flotilla as Hamas, announcing that the IDF had intercepted Hamas vessels. This is a dark and dangerous surrealism that the Israeli Government would accuse Irish citizens of being members of Hamas. It is absolutely incredible that names like Kelly, Sheehy, O'Donovan and Clancy could ever be associated with Hamas by an actual government.

Protests are happening in Greece, Italy, Germany, Tunisia and Türkiye. Governments around the world have been ramping up the criticism and pressure. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has increased that pressure. Türkiye's foreign minister has condemned these interceptions as an act of terrorism. The Colombian President has expelled the remaining Israeli diplomats and Colombia has also terminated its free trade agreement with Israel. I appreciate the information the Tánaiste has given us in the Chamber today. It is important information. I appreciate also that the Tánaiste is in contact with the families and that is important too. However, what practical actions are we taking to protect the rights of our citizens, to make sure their well-being is protected and to get them home as soon as possible?

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