Dan Boyle (Green Party)

Last week, I spoke at a debate in the Trinity Historical Society as a last minute substitute against the motion that Israel's actions were acceptable. I shared a platform with Steven Weinberg, a Nobel prize winning physicist. He is a nice man but he argued that Israel is a liberal sector democracy.

Unfortunately, the effect of Israel's living in a constant state of siege and belligerence has been to dilute its democracy. The recent election results in Israel marking a swing to extreme right wing thinking is an effect of a failure to understand the military and technological advantage that it has as the sole democracy in that region. The humane approach to foreign policy would be the opposite of what has been happening in Gaza in recent months, and before that in southern Lebanon.

I welcome the strong position of the Government in articulating a viewpoint ahead of others. A clear signal is coming from this House that we, as the Government has articulated, believe this to be a one-sided situation that demands an appropriate response. The Government should use any opportunity it has to ensure that one-sidedness is overturned for the sake of humanity and justice.