Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I support my colleagues in regard to an inquiry into the assassination of Eddie Fullerton who was a member of Donegal County Council and whom I met. He served that body very well. If any other elected representative had been killed, there would have been an inquiry by now. This is not the first occasion on which my colleagues have sought such an inquiry. A limited, preliminary inquiry, similar to the MacEntee inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, could be carried out into all the facts surrounding the assassination of Eddie Fullerton. That would be a step in the right direction.

I support Senator Norris's call for us to recognise the new Government in Palestine. We should grasp the nettle on this issue because it is an independent state. Following its establishment, this State was anxious to get recognition throughout the world. De Valera and others sought that recognition and received it from the United States of America and other countries.

The majority of the Palestinian Government does not belong to Hamas and the president is from the Fatah party. I made the point to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, that we should use our influence in the European Union to provide funds and support the state of Palestine and its Government. No government would satisfy the Israelis except a government which not only is pro-Israel but also is under its control. It does not really want the establishment of an independent Palestine.

I add my voice to the call for recognition. I spoke to the Palestinian ambassador after I spoke in this Chamber last Tuesday and he was very impressed by the fact this House has supported constantly the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. It is very helpful to the Palestinian Government that an independent State such as this and an independent Chamber such as the Seanad would voice their opinion. As a result of the Internet, what is said in this House is transmitted throughout the world almost immediately. That is significant and we should not fail to highlight the commitment of this Chamber to the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.