Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Yes indeed. In politics, that is the maxim. It is time we had a debate on the ever-worsening crisis in the Middle East. Yesterday and last week we saw a new low in terms of attacks by the Israeli Army on an innocent civilian population in Gaza. Can we remind the Israeli Government that well over 70% of the Israeli people want the occupied territories handed back to the Palestinian people and the Israeli troops removed from the Gaza Strip? There is overwhelming support for that not only in Israel but throughout the world. Is it significant that for the first time in many years the Americans yesterday failed to back the Israelis in a UN resolution at the Security Council? It is important that the Minister for Foreign Affairs should attend the House, perhaps in the next week or so——