Results 1-20 of 22 for israel speaker:Mattie McGrath

International Court of Justice and Genocide in Gaza: Motion [Private Members] (30 Jan 2024)

Mattie McGrath: ...judgement. I am surprised and disappointed that while we have close ties with the US, which I want to maintain, Ireland has not called in the US ambassador to persuade him to put more pressure on Israel to stop this horrible genocide and slaughter. There are war crimes by the dozen. To think that a population equivalent to the population of the city of Kilkenny, which is not far away...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (24 Jan 2024)

Mattie McGrath: ...in Gaza is atrocious. Is mór an trua é that the European community and European states cannot have a unanimous, cohesive call for a ceasefire. It is appalling from Hamas and it is doubly appalling what Israel is doing. It is a pity that weakness is there. We are showing that weakness. If the EU as a project is to stick together and have any respect on the world stage, surely...

Conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Motion (23 Jan 2024)

Mattie McGrath: ..., regardless of the complexities of international law and optics. I condemn utterly the actions of Hamas on that fateful day in October. I unreservedly condemn the massive overreaction of Israel. It will not even listen to its allies in the United States. Now we have game-playing, with motions being brought forward and the South African situation. Goodness knows, they know enough...

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (6 Dec 2023)

Mattie McGrath: .... That is no small feat. Fair dues to him. We are blindly supporting Ukraine and now we have a horrific, horrible war in Gaza and Lebanon. The attack by Hamas was despicable but the response from Israel is worse. It is shocking. The Tánaiste, Deputy Martin, wants to change our neutrality and get rid of the triple lock. He held his little roadshow and he got his answer and will...

Immigration: Motion [Private Members] (6 Dec 2023)

Mattie McGrath: ...and I listened and saw it. I met the people. I saw what happened whereby stickers were put on doors at night for people to be taken away by neighbours and friends. I know what happened. We hear what is going on in Israel and Gaza and it is obnoxious but we want to be one-sided here and prance around the streets and cause numerous protests. I have never organised a protest in my life....

Escalation of Violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (14 Nov 2023)

Mattie McGrath: ...7 October of this year. Second, the most relevant but inconvenient fact is that such moves are, in the first instance, no more than political posturing, carrying no meaningful weight, since Israel, like the United States, Russia, China, India and a raft of other countries, are not even members of the International Criminal Court and do not recognise its jurisdiction. What, therefore,...

Escalation of Violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (14 Nov 2023)

Mattie McGrath: Unfortunately, hospitals and other medical facilities have been caught up in intense fighting as Israel presses its offensive against Hamas. We all condemn, although some people are slow enough to do so, the attack Hamas carried out on 7 October. It was horrific and highly provocative, but we equally condemn the overkill demonstrated by the Israelis. Nevertheless, when we know Israel does...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (8 Nov 2023)

Mattie McGrath: ...be fully neutral. We have diluted ourselves with some of the comments that have been made here. I condemned out of hand the Hamas savagery, but I equally condemn the savagery and the overkill now by Israel. However, we need to be peacekeepers out there and in Europe. On the other issue of the whole influx of refugees and migrants and everything else, how come Poland and Hungary can...

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (25 Oct 2023)

Mattie McGrath: ...ourselves under the tricolour as a peaceful nation and insisted on that. Instead, we have hitched ourselves up completely to the Ukrainian wagon. Are we now going to come out on the side of Israel here? I utterly condemn what Hamas did and is doing. I utterly condemn what Israel is doing, with the United States and everybody else homing in there. We are in a very dangerous area. I...

Middle East and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Statements (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Mattie McGrath: ...a border, to break in, to shoot and maim, to take hostages, and to mutilate young people having a night's fun, is just one of the most vicious and pernicious crimes you could have. The reaction by Israel, as expected, has been ferocious, vicious and outrageous. War crimes have been committed. I also condemn Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. I support...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (12 Oct 2023)

Mattie McGrath: On behalf of the Rural Independents, I want to condemn both sides in Israel - the horrific attack by Hamas and, indeed, the ongoing response of the Israelis - and the death of that young Irish citizen. It is horrific. I want to ask the Tánaiste how come the Government had a budget this week and it did not even mention these workers who are going on strike next week. Forced to go on...

European Council Meeting: Statements, Questions and Answers (12 Jul 2023)

Mattie McGrath: ...of times. We are silent on it, yet we are nakedly involved in the Ukraine war. Other than going out there and fighting, we want to do everything to support Ukraine. We are blinkered. We ignore what happens in Israel and Palestine, but there are enough people talking about that. I want to talk about the other parts of the world where massive atrocities are happening and Christians are...

Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (16 May 2023)

Mattie McGrath: I am delighted to have time to speak on this Bill. The legislation aims to prevent the NTMA from investing in businesses that operate in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. It requires the NTMA to ensure that no assets from the ISIF are invested in such businesses and, if it becomes aware that the ISIF has invested in such businesses, it must divest these assets from the...

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (22 Mar 2023)

Mattie McGrath: ...Ukrainian President and other regimes' actions with their minority populations over the past. We will not see that at all, however. That cannot be mentioned in the narrative. We want to ignore Israel and what goes on there, the Iraq war and what happened there and everything else. We are very selective here. Then we have people stand up in this Chamber and attack Prime Minister...

Anniversary of Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Motion (22 Feb 2023)

Mattie McGrath: ...the slaughter and genocide that is going on in Nigeria and many African countries. We say very little about many places such as those. We have no emotion or engagement. Skin colour must be the discrimination behind that. Israel is another one. I have considerable concerns about it. I will not be supporting the motion. I will support Deputy Pringle's amendment.

Annexation of Palestine: Motion [Private Members] (25 May 2021)

Mattie McGrath: ...were lost. One life lost because of political difference is one life too many. That is not to mention the women and children, homes, hospitals and primary care centres, and the savagery that apartheid Israel - one can call it nothing else - has perpetrated. The demolition and destruction of the Palestinian people is just mind-boggling and shocking. We have a ceasefire, thankfully,...

Situation in Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel: Statements (20 May 2021)

Mattie McGrath: ...over the world as a neutral and peaceful country. We now seem to be beholden to greater powers in Europe and the United States. We need to send an unequivocal message to the world, and especially Israel, that we will not stand idly by, to use a 1969 phrase from a former Taoiseach. It is probably the wrong phrase to use. I refer to the genocide, the murder and slaughter of innocent...

Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second Stage [Private Members] (23 Jan 2019)

Mattie McGrath: I am happy to speak to the Bill which I have consistently opposed as I have made clear to the various groups that support the right of Israel to defend itself against the blatant bias in organisations such as the United Nations which the Bill seeks to promote. I am aware that the Government’s position is that the matter is best dealt with at EU policy level, with all EU member states...

Palestine: Statements (15 May 2018)

Mattie McGrath: ..., and it was expected. While the media has claimed this protest is a result of the embassy's move to Jerusalem, I do not believe it is. It is because this week celebrates the 70th anniversary of Israel, which Palestinians call Nakba, meaning catastrophic in Arabic. They organise protests on this date every single year as day follows night. A clear pattern has emerged here. It is not as...

European Council: Statements (21 Mar 2018)

Mattie McGrath: ...crisis in Europe with the refugees? What are we going to do about the situation in Syria, which is diabolical and has been going on for many years? There are millions of refugees, displacement and Israel is bombing the hell out of the place whenever it feels like it. We seem to be silent on those issues. We are a neutral country. We are meant to be always proud of our neutrality, but...