Results 1-20 of 24 for israel segment:3572730

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I listened carefully to the speech. In one section, it refers to the kidnapped, captured and arrested members of the Hamas Government and urges Israel to either release or charge them. I say to that, "Hold on for one minute". Israel invades another country, arrests members of the Government of that country and we presume it has the right to charge them. Is that even-handed? Imagine if the...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I move: That Seanad Éireann, —noting with alarm the deteriorating relations between Israel and the Palestinian people, —convinced that violence in this situation is both morally unjustified and politically counter productive, —nevertheless recognises the disproportionate burden of suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people by the actions of the Government and armed forces of Israel...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: ...and human crisis. I have only one reason for identifying in this motion a disproportionate suffering on the part of the Palestinian people and that is because it is an undisputable fact. No Israeli children will die tonight for the want of clean water or because their drinking water is polluted by sewage or because there is no electricity. Nobody has the political or military capacity to...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Martin Mansergh: ...' time. The House should be complimented on its deep and consistent interest in the subject as shown by numerous interventions on the Order of Business. The situation is a sad and tragic one. The Israeli Government has adopted a policy of massive retaliation for much of the past 50 years to any attack or offence and I do not underestimate the threats to which it has sometimes been...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

David Norris: ...appalled by the speech I have just heard. It was extraordinarily one-sided and completely neglectful of the human rights of the Palestinian people. I have always supported the right of the state of Israel to exist. I would like to think the Government could do something positive by quietly facilitating a meeting between some of the leaders of the opposing sides in an out-of-the-picture...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Paschal Mooney: ...and the Palestinian Question 1948-2004". He states: Hamas's constitution — perhaps the most outlandish and vile political manifesto currently in existence — not only promises to "obliterate" Israel but incites anti-Semitic murder, arguing that the day of judgment will not come about until Muslims fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

John Minihan: The use of the word "capture" implies a certain legitimacy. It implies that the Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, has, in the words of the Geneva Convention, "fallen into the power of the enemy and as such will be accorded the status of a prisoner of war". While I would like nothing more than this to be the case, I fear that young Corporal Shalit has been kidnapped and will pay the...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Paschal Mooney: On the first day alone, 50 truck loads of basic food items, 100,000 litres of diesel fuel for generators, 80,000 litres of gasoline and 200 tons of natural gas for cooking were transferred to Gaza. Israel has promised to continue to monitor the humanitarian situation and will co-ordinate the transfer of necessary goods with international relief organisations.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Don Lydon: There are two parties to this conflict. On the one hand, we have a Jewish state that was carved out of territory that did not belong to it. Israel is very tough in all its dealings with others. I have been to that country and the attitude of its people is that they will never again endure another Auschwitz or Bergen-Belsen. However, I do not believe Israel is a viable state because it is...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Paschal Mooney: ...done nothing to justify changing European policy towards this organisation. Hamas is currently unwilling to meet the very basic conditions of the Quartet, namely, an end to violence, recognition of Israel's right to exist and recognition of the agreements already signed by the Palestinian Authority.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

John Minihan: ...in the Middle East, particularly in this region. I served three tours of duty in the area. To reinforce what Senator Mooney said, I wore the blue beret and stood beside the Palestinian people under Israeli shelling. Equally I stood side by side with Israelis in the face of Palestinian terrorist attacks. I say this because I have spoken on this subject a number of times and I am not afraid...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Paschal Mooney: ...of a temporary international mechanism to channel assistance directly to the Palestinian people. This will bring total EU aid to the Palestinian people so far this year to €259 million. Israel responded to the international pressure for humanitarian aid. On 2 July it opened two border crossings to allow the passage of food and fuel.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: ...is an event of horrific brutality. I want to get through all of what are now apparently the expected ritual condemnations and to say that of course violence is wrong and unnecessary. Of course the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped and captured should be treated properly and released. The reason he is not mentioned in the motion is that I could not know last Thursday, when I was required to...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

John Paul Phelan: ...subject. I have never previously spoken on Middle East affairs in the Seanad and I am pleased to have the opportunity. Along with other Members of the Oireachtas, I had the chance to travel to Israel and Palestine to witness at first-hand some of the difficulties that exist in that part of the world. It was an eye-opener for me. Senator O'Meara stated she did not have first-hand knowledge...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Joe O'Toole: ...point in our lives. The reality is that all of us have been engrossed in this issue for many years. I knew President-Chairman Mr. Arafat for many years. I argued this point with him. From the time Israel moved towards supporting a homeland for Palestinians, I urged that he would change his position, and he did so. Members of the House, such as Senator Norris and I, were supportive of the...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Paul Bradford: I second the motion. Like Senator Ryan, I wish to state my strong assertion that the Israeli soldier currently being held should be released. The Senator concluded with the interesting example of what we said and did in terms of the Northern Ireland peace process and the first substantial ceasefire therein in 1994, from which we can learn. A word at the centre of the Northern peace process...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Joe O'Toole: Through all my years of involvement with this issue, I have also had good relations with the Histadrut and the labour movement in Israel. I have always felt there had to be a two-state solution, which is my position today. I was disappointed when Hamas was elected. I felt the same as I did last year when the DUP was elected in the North. I said then as I say now that when the people speak,...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Noel Treacy: ...strongly for the widest possible coverage of needs, through the temporary mechanism, and the widest possible international donor involvement, including by the Arab states. It is essential for Israel to find a way to resume the transfer of withheld Palestinian tax and customs revenues, which is an issue that Ireland has consistently raised. The revenues in question are essential to the...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Paschal Mooney: ...body of international opinion, I am sure Senators will agree — have maintained a clear message that the Hamas Government must commit to the peace process. It must renounce violence, recognise Israel's right to exist and adhere to agreements negotiated by the authority, prior to the establishment of the Hamas-dominated administration, and the PLO. Until there is progress towards this aim...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

John Dardis: ...and finished the speech addressing the humanitarian aspect of the situation, which has not been a feature of the debate. We can all apportion blame, pointing the finger at the terrorism of the Israeli state or Hamas. The dominant concern of the Government and the EU must be the humanitarian dimension. It is worth noting the conclusions of the EU Presidency of the European Council meeting...