Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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164. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will call for an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly and table a resolution calling for collective measures to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and protection of its citizens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27478/25]

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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The Tánaiste will recall the House yesterday approved a motion developed by the Labour Party and formally supported by Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Green Party and others, mandating the Government to call for a special General Assembly of the United Nations to promote and instigate certain collective measures in respect of Gaza. Given the motion has effectively been adopted, how does the Government plan to implement it?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Exactly. I would add that I spoke very much in favour of that motion yesterday. I said I not only was not opposing it but also wanted to see it taken forward. I believed it a constructive addition to the discussion. Government and Opposition need to work more together on the common values we share and our desire to see an end to the genocide taking place in Gaza, perpetrated by the Israeli Government.

Before coming to the Deputy’s question, I wish to take a moment to express my deep sadness at the shooting dead of two staff members of the Embassy of Israel in Washington on 21 May. I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and send my condolences to the families of those killed.

When it comes to Gaza, I fully share the Deputy's deep concern at the appalling humanitarian situation. I have consistently condemned any arrangement for humanitarian assistance - I think that is at the heart of the Labour Party motion - that does not ensure access for the entire population. Recent days have seen a small amount - if you could even call it that - of aid being permitted to enter Gaza. It is completely out of proportion with the scale of humanitarian need, which continues to grow.

Alongside that, it is linking humanitarian aid to political and military motivation, which you can never link to access to food and basic humanitarian aid. I, along with international partners, continue to apply pressure on this point and the motion in the House yesterday was helpful in that regard. Close co-ordination with like-minded partners is central to the work we are doing.

A shared priority with European and regional partners at this time is the UN high-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. The conference will take place in New York in June and will be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. The conference was mandated by way of a resolution adopted on 18 September 2024 at a reconvened tenth emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Palestine. That will provide an opportunity for Ireland in person and at a very senior Government level to raise the issues we have discussed. We are already beginning to raise those issues. I had a meeting with my officials today. I will come back in on that point.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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It is important that the motion be implemented and that the will of the House be accepted by the Government and implemented at every opportunity. We have used the opportunity of the special General Assembly well. In recent times, we called for the upgrading of Palestine's status in the context of the UN General Assembly and the UN more generally, which is to be welcomed.

Ireland has led the way internationally on Gaza. There are no two ways about it. This time last year, we took the decision to recognise the State of Palestine. Collectively, across the Chamber, our views were prescient in respect of the EU-Israel association agreement. Other countries are now starting to pay attention and are catching up with Ireland. There will be an opportunity next month for us to continue to show courage and leadership in this space by doing exactly what the motion called for, that is, UN-backed and -administered aid immediately into Gaza, a ceasefire and the development of a UN-backed peacekeeping force.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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That is absolutely the case. I do not mean to be pedantic, but as I said yesterday, there has in the past been an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on this issue. If it is reconvened and becomes the vehicle by which we can bring forward the resolution discussed yesterday in the House or another mechanism is required, we are all open to working on this and the outcome is the same.

I appreciate what the Deputy has said. I do not view Gaza as a partisan issue because we all want to get to the same place of a two-state solution, an end to the genocide, accountability for the war crimes that have been committed, the release of the hostages and the flow of humanitarian aid. To be honest, we need some of the big countries to move. I know from my engagement with my European counterparts that their populations are concerned, as Irish people are. I hope that, in the build-up to the UN special conference next month, some of the big European nations - and I have noticed a change in their tone and comments in recent days - take a step forward and recognise the State of Palestine. We should not underestimate the importance that would have on the global stage. I call on those countries, as I am sure the Deputy would, too, to join us in recognising the State of Palestine.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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I absolutely would. A window is now opening because we have seen a step change in the UK, France and Canada over the past week or ten days in respect of their perspective on Gaza, the genocide, what is happening there and what needs to happen. We have also seen a step change in Germany, especially in our sister party of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, SDP. The Chancellor has made interesting remarks about the completely unacceptable behaviour of the Israeli regime and state.

Ireland will be chairing one of the working groups at the two-state solution conference next month. In order for the two-state solution that this House and State officially support, we need a viable Palestinian state. Quite frankly, the ethnic cleansing and genocide that have been perpetrated by Israel are designed to obliterate the notion and the understood legal position of the aspiration for a two-state solution. At this point, the Tánaiste may not be in a position to be crystal clear about our priorities when chairing that working group but he might put on the record what function we will have, which working group we will be chairing, if he is aware, and what opportunities we can exploit and use to ensure there continues to be momentum behind the motion adopted in the House yesterday.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. He is correct that Ireland will be pleased to play a central role at that UN conference. We have been invited by France and Saudi Arabia to co-chair one of the working groups. With Türkiye, we will be co-chairing one of the eight working groups that form part of the conference. Final details of the work programmes for each working group are to be established in the coming days. Intensive work and close political co-ordination with European and Arab partners are continuing, including through a meeting of the Madrid group, of which Ireland is a part, last Sunday. That was a precursor to the UN meeting.

The UN conference will provide an important opportunity to advance discussions on concrete initiatives, which is an important phrase, towards implementing the two-state solution, such as the implementation of the Arab recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza, which will include addressing the need for security arrangements on the ground that respect Palestinian sovereignty and take account of Israeli security needs. A lot has happened in recent days that has been drowned out because of the horrific actions of the Government of Israel. The Arab plan talks about a future for Gaza without Hamas. There is a considerable amount of work with which we could move forward if Israel were to stop its war crimes and let the aid in and the hostages out. We can then have an exciting discussion about recovery and reconstruction.