Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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24. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the recent UN summit in New York, with particular reference to discussions he had with representatives of other countries. [41347/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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25. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent discussions with President Biden. [41348/23]

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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26. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent visit to the UN as it relates to the sustainable development goals, SDGs, declaration. [41929/23]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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29. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the UN General Assembly. [43575/23]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his recent meeting with President Biden. [43824/23]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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31. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent discussions with President Biden. [43866/23]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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32. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent discussions with President Biden. [43869/23]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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33. To ask the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the UN General Assembly. [44964/23]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 to 33, inclusive, together.

I travelled to New York to attend the UN General Assembly's high-level week. I delivered Ireland's statement at the UN's SDG summit, which highlighted the need to get back on track with reaching the SDGs. Towards that end, leaders adopted the summit political declaration, which Ireland co-facilitated with Qatar.

I also gave Ireland's national statement to the General Assembly on the Friday. In my speech, I highlighted four issues, which were the need for the international community to continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine and to hold Russia accountable for its brutal invasion; the vital importance of climate action ahead of COP28; the need to redouble our efforts to achieve the SDGs by 2030; and the need for reform of the United Nations so that it better reflects today’s world.

While at the UN, I also participated in several events in the margins, including an event to mark 15 years of the UN LGBTI core group; a reception hosted by the German Chancellor to mark 50 years of German membership of the UN; and a reception hosted by President Biden and the First Lady for leaders attending the General Assembly. I also had various bilateral meetings, including with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who thanked Ireland for its support for the UN. I took the opportunity to recall the case of Private Seán Rooney and the importance of his family knowing the full facts around his tragic death. I also met Moldovan President Maia Sandu and reassured her of Ireland's continued backing for Moldova’s journey towards EU membership. I also had bilateral engagements with the Prime Ministers of Qatar and Samoa.

At the US reception, I had the opportunity for a short conversation with President Biden. The Tánaiste was also in attendance. I updated President Biden on developments in Northern Ireland and on the UK legacy Act, outlining our deep concerns for its implications. I thanked him for his continued interest in the peace process and for his appointment of Joe Kennedy III as economic envoy to Northern Ireland. As always, I found President Biden to be well informed and ready to be of assistance in whatever way he can.

While in New York, my programme included a reception for Irish people in the tech industry and a visit to the Irish Arts Center, during which I announced an additional €2 million to help with its further development. While in the US, I took the opportunity to travel briefly to Miami where I formally opened Ireland’s new consulate and met a number of local political and community leaders.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Taoiseach's interaction to ensure the family of Private Seán Rooney gets the full truth of that devastating tragedy.

We are now dealing with the carpet bombing of Palestine by Israel. People are doing without food, energy, water and all those necessities. The Taoiseach spoke earlier about Ireland's interaction in respect of driving home the message, which needs to happen, that there needs to be a ceasefire. There must be an opening in order that Palestinians can be provided with the essentials that are necessary for life. We must look at what they are dealing with at this point, including forced displacement and all the rest of it. They have a difficult history of occupation, annexation and apartheid.

The Taoiseach detailed some of his interactions. I would like to know what interactions he has had with the European Union. I welcome where Ireland has been in respect of some of the messaging. We could talk about the tweet of the Hungarian Commissioner or deal with Ursula von der Leyen, who went far beyond her remit and provided what many people would consider green-lighting or absolute backing to Israel, which is now involved in absolutely brutal war crimes that need to be called out and condemned.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I am glad the Taoiseach referred to the terrible loss of Private Seán Rooney. At a time such as this, when there is so much turbulence, loss of life and suffering in the Middle East, we want to be conscious of the Irish people and peacekeepers, the members of our Permanent Defence Force who are in that area on United Nations peacekeeping missions at present. We must also think of NGOs from Ireland that are working in difficult circumstances and have done so over many years.

I welcome the fact that the Taoiseach had a brief opportunity to discuss with President Biden the need for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and to refer to the desperate Troubles legislation that has been put through both Houses in Britain. It is an awful indictment and a step backwards with regard to trying to bring about reconciliation on our island.

As I have mentioned in this House on many occasions, I believe that in all engagements with politicians from the United States, from the President to people from state legislatures and city halls, we must always be mindful of the position of the undocumented Irish. We must continue to emphasise in all forums the need to make progress on regularising the status of the undocumented Irish. The best estimate available to the Department of Foreign Affairs is that there are fewer than 10,000 Irish people in such a position. The overwhelming majority of those people are working hard, paying their taxes and contributing to society but, unfortunately, do not have the status they need.

They do not have residency status or access to visas. I am fully conscious that it will be difficult to have comprehensive immigration reform in the present climate in the United States, but we must continue to endeavour to get a legal pathway to status for those people and other people who wish to emigrate from our country for whatever reasons to the United States.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Taoiseach can google the video on this. A number of years ago, Joseph Biden said that if Israel did not exist, the United States would have to invent it. He went on to explain what he meant by saying that the United States would have to station tens of thousands of US troops in the Middle East. Why did he say that? It gives us a little glimpse into why he has gone to Israel today to offer unconditional, uncritical support to a regime that in the past few days publicly declared and then carried out an intent to ethnically cleanse 1 million Palestinians and impose brutal, savage, murderous collective punishment on the entire population of Gaza. He said it because it is in the strategic interests of the United States, as he sees it, to give Israel impunity. Is the Taoiseach going to finally challenge this horror and the impunity that Israel enjoys? Will he acknowledge that it is, according to every single international human rights organisation, many of which published reports in the last year, an apartheid regime that is guilty of the illegal annexation and occupation of other people's lands and territory and does not have a right to defend apartheid or illegal occupation, and that it should be condemned and sanctioned for carrying out those crimes?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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After the horrendous bombing of the Baptist hospital in Gaza, Joe Biden has arrived in Israel. He embraced the war criminal, Netanyahu, and said, "It appears as though it was done by the other team, not you." It was a disgusting comment in line with the disgusting policy of US support for Israeli ethnic cleansing.

Those who have given a green light to genocide by Israel, including Joe Biden and including von der Leyen, have blood on their hands. The denial of Israel is just part and parcel of the regular propaganda machine. They denied killing Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. They blamed it on the Palestinians for months. In 2022, they denied a strike killing five children in Gaza, blaming it on Islamic Jihad before having to admit it. This is just what they do. We should have believed them when they told us what they were going to do. When the army spokesperson said, "The emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy", when the defence minister said, "We will eliminate everything", and when they gave written threats repeatedly to hospitals in Gaza saying they were going to bomb them, we should have believed. The Israeli ambassador on the radio this morning denied doing it but said that Israel has the right to bomb hospitals in Gaza. It is time for action. It is time to expel the Israeli ambassador.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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Does the Taoiseach not think it is strange that a state that organises a bloody occupation, cuts off water, food and electricity supplies to millions of people, organises the collective punishment of an entire people including bombing hospitals - plural - schools and civilian infrastructure and that plans an invasion that can only result in Palestinian deaths far greater than we have even witnessed in the past ten days is afforded the privilege by the Government of having an embassy in this Republic? Does he not think that it has gone way beyond the time to expel the Israeli ambassador from this country?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Haughey raised the issue of the UN Security Council. It is very much our view, and I expressed this view at the UN General Assembly, that the UN Security Council needs to be reformed. It simply does not reflect the world in 2023. The five permanent members are the victors of the Second World War, which was a long time ago now. It is in dire need of reform and legitimacy.

We should all appreciate that there is much more to the United Nations than the Security Council. There is UN peacekeeping. Does anyone doubt the value of operations like the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, which has at least allowed people in south Lebanon to lead a relatively normal life most of the time for the past few decades? I know we are very proud of the role we have played in that operation. Look at the role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, for example, in Gaza and the West Bank in caring for Palestinian refugees. That is the UN. Look at the World Health Organization and the work that organisation has done in fighting pandemics. When people are critical of the UN, fair enough, they can be critical of its limitations and of the composition of the Security Council, but they should not turn a blind eye to all the other things the UN does, such as peacekeeping, and the various different UN agencies. It is a valuable institution and I am glad that we prioritise it as part of our diplomacy.

Deputy Ó Murchú asked about my interaction with the European Union. That is ongoing. Over the course of the weekend while I was in Paris, my team and I were in touch with President Charles Michel to agree the joint statement that was released on Sunday, which I think was a balanced one. I attended the European Council meeting by video conference yesterday. That was attended by 27 Heads of State and Government. Also present were President von der Leyen, President Metsola and the High Representative, as well as President Michel. I had a bilateral meeting with President Macron on Sunday, and we discussed this as one of the three main topics. The Tánaiste is very active at the moment in taking a leading role contacting other states including Jordan, Fatah, Iran and others.

Deputy Brendan Smith reminded us of the fact that we have citizens in the region and their safety is very much on my mind. We have peacekeepers in Lebanon and Syria. We have aid workers in Gaza, and we have citizens in Gaza as well. So far, the only Irish person who has been killed in this conflict was killed by Hamas. We should not forget that. However, of course, our citizens are at risk in Gaza, south Lebanon, Israel and Golan. I certainly hope there will be no other Irish citizens killed during the course of this conflict or in this phase of the conflict.

Deputy Smith also raised the issue of undocumented Irish. We have a really good model that other states could follow in terms of regularising undocumented people. We have done a few schemes in this State, including one for people who arrived with student visas and subsequently lost their status. It is a good example for the US to follow. Unfortunately, however, I do not think it is going to be possible for it to do so. The whole debate around migration in the US has become so polarised that it would be very difficult for any President or Congress to be able to get reform through. That is a real shame but hopefully that will change at some point in the future.

I will state once again, Israel was not invented by the United States-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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No, Britain invented it.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----notwithstanding anything Deputy Boyd Barrett may have seen. It was established by the United Nations as a Jewish state in their historic homeland. Israel has the right to exist-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It busted out of the UN partition plan immediately.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----but it does not have a right to do wrong.

Finally, Deputies will recall that there were many calls to expel the Russian ambassador and to close the Russian Embassy in Dublin. Everyone in this House knows that I was 100% on the side, and remain 100% on the side, of the Ukrainian people in resisting occupation and resisting the war that is happening that has been caused by Russia. We decided not to expel the ambassador or close the Russian Embassy precisely because we think it is important that even in the worst of times, we have to keep diplomatic contacts open.