David Norris (Independent)

I support what Senator Brian Hayes said on the North of Ireland. What happened was lamentable when there has been a reasonably quiet period over the marching season. As someone who has been critical of Sinn Féin and the IRA, I was very impressed by the way people like Gerry Kelly dealt with the crowd and pleaded with them not to engage in aggressive behaviour. Similar activities occurred on the loyalist side. It is astonishing in a period of peace that citizens are not allowed to walk along the public highway, which is what they were doing. The pictures in the newspapers show people armed with baseball bats and we know the application to which they put these instruments against their own communities. Trees were uprooted and these people showed complete contempt for their own communities, which was lamentable. However, community leaders on both sides behaved well.

Will the Leader provide an opportunity tomorrow for statements on the Middle East? We did not anticipate meeting tomorrow and we do not need the Minister to be here. We should be allowed to make statements in the absence of a Minister. This would be useful in light of the two catastrophic reports on the intelligence services in the United States and Britain, and the disgraceful use which was made of these by the leaders of these two countries. Such a debate would also allow us to debate the judgment of the international court and the Israeli Supreme Court on the issue of the wall, which is a wall and not a security fence. It would allow us to comment on Israel's reply that it will take no notice of this judgment. This is clearly evidence of the Sharon Government aping the attitude of the Bush regime, which behaves in a completely cavalier way towards all international institutions. A debate would allow people like myself, who have identified with Israel and the suffering of the Jewish people over many years, to put on record our disassociation from the comments of Mr. Netanyahu, who attempted to use the Holocaust as a justification for the barbarous treatment of the Palestinian people. It is shameful to exploit the unparalleled suffering of the Jews of Europe to legitimise oppression of other people. It is time people like Mr. Netanyahu and the current Israeli Government were reminded that the Holocaust is not their personal possession, and they should not be allowed to abuse it. Other groups such as gay people, gypsies and the mentally handicapped were also liquidated by that regime.