Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I join with Deputy Tóibín in condemning the outrageous slurs on our citizens in relation to any reference to Hamas. Our Irish citizens are people in the pursuit of peace and on a humanitarian mission to try to bring food and medicine to a starving population. I agree with the Deputy in condemning that horrific slur on our citizens. That should not be stood for.

I appreciate what the Deputy said about the work of my Department. Our priority today, tomorrow and in the period ahead has to be the well-being of our citizens who are currently in detention in Israel. That has to be our priority. It always has to be the priority of the Department of foreign affairs, when our citizens are detained wrongly abroad, to try to help and assist them and support their families. I do not want to go further than this currently, but in the statement I issued with 14 other countries, I said that there does have to be accountability under international law for the actions that have been taken by Israel. I have begun conversations with counterparts and will have further conversations to detect if there is an appetite, which I hope and believe there is, to consider how a number of countries could pursue this. I will keep the House informed on this as I develop a policy and as I engage further with Government colleagues here in Ireland too.

See this speech in context