Mary Henry (Independent)

I thank Senator O'Toole for sharing his time. I too share his horror at Cement Roadstone Holdings.

The past is very important. However, the present is also important because it will be the past of the future. We have Senator Norris to thank for constantly bringing this issue before our eyes. All of us praise the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, and the Minister, Deputy Cowen, for what they do and for what those before them have done in this area.

Whenever I see a situation where there are two different populations one of the first things I try to do as a doctor is look at the health figures for the area. Earlier this evening Senator Norris spoke about the disgusting conditions in which many Palestinians have to live. Their poverty and lack of access to anything is borne out by the United Nations State of World Population figures. In Israel the infant mortality rate is six per 1,000, much the same as in the developed world; in Palestine it is four times as great. Life expectancy in Israel is 71 for a man and 81 for a woman. Eighty-one years would be considered very good in this part of the world — it is less here. For Palestinians it is 70 for a man and 74 for a woman. All the statistics indicate that the Palestinians are very much deprived. There is one statistic which must be examined very carefully. That is the births per 1,000 women. For Israel the rate is 17 and for the occupied Palestinian territories it is five times as much. That means that on one side of that wall there are people who are being deprived, who number five times as many as on the other side where people have so much more.

The EU effort within the Palestinian occupied territories was mentioned and it was stated that the effort should be renewed. It should, but every effort is frequently destroyed. It seems that as soon as something is built, it is knocked down and must be rebuilt. I deplore the suicide bombers and the gruesome videos that are sent out, particularly those of women. It is a whole new development where women with children say they are going to kill themselves, knowing they will be killing other children. When that happens many houses around where these people lived are knocked down too. Nobody knows better than people here that one must try to bring people in out of the cold. I hope that in the deliberations which are taking place, in which Senator Norris and many other Senators, and particularly the former Senator Lanigan, have played an important part, the experience we have had in this country will be put to good use.