David Norris (Independent)

As always, it is very interesting to hear what my colleague, Senator O'Toole, has to say. He says he has now changed his mind on matters such as the bank guarantee. I am in exactly the same position I was in. I disagree with the Senator in that the problem is not just a European one but also an American one. Global circumstances need to be considered. I hope the contagion will not be allowed to spread from the economy into society. We have an obligation to the citizens of Europe which needs to be protected rather than the interests of the gamblers, financial speculators and financial institutions. We should not allow these values to be removed from us.

I agree with what Senator Ormonde said. I read the same article as her. I remember when a former editor of The Irish Times, Mr. Douglas Gageby, was the head of the Irish News Agency. Part of its job was to contact the opinion formers and correct misinterpretations. There is a serious situation, but there is a lot of positive information that should be circulated. Mistakes should be corrected.

Will the Leader contact the Minister for Foreign Affairs to ask him to take up with the Israeli authorities the case of Mr. Shawan Jabarin who was a student in Galway in the Irish Centre for Human Rights? He is to be awarded a distinguished graduate honour at its tenth anniversary celebrations, at which I will be the master of ceremonies. The centre has asked me to take up the matter. Mr. Jabarin is committed to a policy of non-violence and a civic leader among the Palestinian people. He has been arrested, imprisoned and tortured, but he still continues with his work. He is banned because of his involvement with the Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq. The ban has been upheld by the Israeli courts and is all of a piece with a matter raised previously in the House, namely, the case of a young female student who was not allowed to continue her education in Bethlehem University, a university with strong contacts with University College Dublin. Since Mr. Jabarin was Amnesty International's first international prisoner of conscience from the Palestinian people, we should do what we can to ensure he will be permitted to travel here to receive the award he richly deserves.