Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The House should condemn in the strongest possible terms the cold-blooded murder of four rabbis and a police officer by two Palestinians who entered a synagogue in the ultra-orthodox neighbourhood of Har Nof in Jerusalem during a morning prayer session. They were armed with guns, a meat cleaver and knives. It was a seven minute killing spree resulting in four worshippers killed and eight wounded, including the police officer who died later in hospital. The rabbis who died were men of peace and faith. It was the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians in more than three years. President Mahmoud Abbas rightly condemned the attack but the killings were praised by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. This is a serious departure and it is only right and proper that we should show solidarity with the people of Israel after this gruesome attack on a synagogue.

There was another recent incident in which Palestinians murdered Israeli civilians. The Israeli response was to demolish the home of the family of those responsible for the murder. Would it be acceptable in any other civilised country for the government to demolish the home of a family linked to, or responsible for, the death of an individual? The response is provocative and will cause more bloodshed. Furthermore, the Israelis continue to build in the occupied territories. The situation will get worse. I hope we will have an opportunity to discuss this next week, or soon, with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan, who is taking a strong line on this. I suggest in the meantime that we send our condolences and a message of solidarity to the people of Israel following this unprovoked attack on the rabbis, the synagogue and the peace-loving people in that area.