Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I believe that is a limit rather than a target. I will not be here for too long. I welcome the Minister to the House.

Palmyra is an oasis in the Syrian Desert to the north east of Damascus. Until 2014, Palmyra contained the ruins of a great city that was once one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world, standing at the crossroads of western and eastern civilisations. The art and architecture of Palmyra from the 1st and 2nd centuries married Greco-Roman design with Persian influences. The grand colonnaded street, open in the centre and with covered side passages, formed an outstanding illustration of architecture and urban layout at the height of the Roman Empire in around 260 AD. The great temple of Ba'al was considered one of the most important religious buildings of the 1st century AD in the east and was of unique design. The carved monumental archway through which the city is approached from the great temple is an outstanding example of Persian art. From June 2014 to February 2015, ISIL systematically plundered and destroyed at least 28 historic religious buildings in Palmyra. It has also been making use of antiquities to finance its activities. Despite the UN ban on the trade of artefacts looted from Syria, since 2011 ISIL has been smuggling such artefacts out of the Middle East and into the underground antique markets of Europe. There is a need to ensure each European country has legislation in place to enable those who export, sell or purchase any of these items to be published severely.

In the absence of respect for international humanitarian law, the barbarity of war is limitless. The world witnessed the true barbarity of war yet again two weeks ago when civilian areas in Aleppo were ruthlessly bombed by Russian and Syrian forces. Ireland needs to play its part in establishing the international rule of law to prevent atrocities like those at Palmyra from happening again. We need to make sure that anyone who commits such atrocities is held accountable after hostilities have ended. This Bill establishes a system of enhanced protection for ancient monuments. It introduces an element of individual criminal responsibility and provides for penalties of imprisonment of up to 30 years when the rule of international law is broken. We have a responsibility to protect the inheritance of future generations. I warmly support this Bill.