Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate my colleague, Senator Norris, for tabling this motion. I apologise for my absence from the House for almost all of this crucial debate. However, some issues should be put on the record and examined. I regret that the amendment was tabled, as it does not deal with the issues. The Government and the Minister of State's party has always taken a brave line on issues such as Palestine and other unpopular issues. This is a time when we should stand out and there was an opportunity to take a stronger position on this issue.

When the Minister of State and I were of school-going age, every second topic debated in the school debating society, whether as Gaeilge nó i mBéarla or whatever, pertained to the contribution which small nations could make to world peace. This was important in the development of all the organisations such as the League of Nations, the United Nations, the Council of Europe, etc. Members have missed a great opportunity to put our position more firmly on the record. We can do that without losing friends. Criticism of George W. Bush's appalling policies is not criticism of the American people, as Senator Norris said in the first debate on this issue over 18 months ago. It suits the people around George W. Bush to portray criticism of him as anti-Americanism, which it is not and will never be. This is the biggest difficulty in this debate.

This war started because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Only one person still claims there are hidden weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. We went to war without justification. After the war had proceeded for some time Fianna Fáil Senators, including Senators Ó Murchú and Hanafin, said they had been misled. The British Parliament and the American people were misled. The facts are there.

We can argue whether the inflection on one part of the argument was different from another, but the reality is that people were misled. When al-Jazeera was available on Sky, I often watched it and admired the channel's courage. It maintained ethical standards and refused to be the creature of al-Qaeda or any other group. It acted as fairly as possible and was an Arab voice giving an important view to the Arab people and the Islamic nations. However, as it was treading a fine line, al-Jazeera was as unpopular with followers of al-Qaeda as with those of George W. Bush.

The only outward sign of that was when the American Government closed down the al-Jazeera head office beside the United Nations building in New York. This was an attempt to muzzle a media entity that was doing no harm but trying to bring the truth further. We read in The Guardian yesterday that George W. Bush proposed and considered bombing al-Jazeera's headquarters. Is there any reason the Irish Government could not say "If that is true, it is wrong and we want to distance ourselves from it"? We must have ethical standards in our global contacts. I ask the Minister of State to discuss that suggestion in his Department. I do not suggest anything that would bring the Irish Government into deep international problems but somebody has to shout "Stop". We lost the opportunity with the debate on weapons of mass destruction. We were misled but the debate has moved on. This is today's issue and we should recognise it.

Another issue is the question of white phosphorous. Imagine if we discovered that Saddam Hussein, al-Qaeda or another repressive regime used it. There would be outrage and we would condemn it. There is something completely wrong about it. Nobody can justify it. Why can this Government not say conditionally that if America used white phosphorous, it is wrong and contravenes a million international conventions? We should set the standards, even in conditional terms. Let others argue whether it took place or not. We will have established our position without passing judgment. This way we would establish what is wrong before we know who did it, rather than vice versa. Surely our diplomats can take us down that road.

The Minister has travelled all over the world. The biggest issue, and the reason we are missing an opportunity here, is that we are polarising the globe. Islamic society is developing a deep hatred for Western beliefs, idioms, morality and culture and in the West we are developing a deep hatred for Islam. This is utterly wrong on both sides but it is being inexorably inculcated into our psyche.

We are dividing the world into "for" and "against". A pro-Zionist Israeli educationalist has done a huge study on the attitude, culture, background, beliefs and drives of suicide bombers. He has followed and studied every one of them and their families. It is frightening to read it because these people feel as justified as Tomás Aghas or Terence McSwiney when they went on hunger strike. Senator Norris has said in this House that suicide bombing is wrong and that the leaders of the societies and political systems in the Middle East that are producing suicide bombers should make that position clear. All sides must show leadership, take responsibility and mark the boundaries of acceptability.

The fact that people are locked up in Guantanamo Bay is a blot on our understanding of Western culture. They have been disgracefully treated. Their holy books, icons and beliefs have been disgracefully treated. People who have condemned Guantanamo Bay have suffered attempts to blacken their names and break up their private lives. It usurps the most basic right of habeas corpus on which all Western legal systems are built. I can use only broad brushstrokes but I hope the Minister will take something from this and begin a debate in his Department.