Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No. All of the banks around Ireland and Europe are arbitrarily closing accounts that have anything to do with the Middle East. The company in question has nothing to do with the West Bank or the Gaza Strip but it had to move 250,000 customers in six weeks from Ulster Bank to another bank just because the company was partly owned by an organisation in Jordan. The company had to spend an amount of time, effort and energy on that. There is no doubt this is happening to anybody who has any whiff of association with the Middle East. To put it mildly, people are being put to inconvenience.

It is very important that Senator Norris raised the issue and I do not think it should rest here. These actions across Europe in connection with Palestine are far more sinister in terms of businesses that are partly owned by or have partners in the Middle East. Actions are being carried out in an orchestrated and co-ordinated way in order to silence those who oppose the settlers and the occupation of the West Bank. As we have seen in Israel itself, draconian South African-type measures are used to shut down dissent and anybody who opposes the occupation. When Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States nearly 40 years ago there were only 30,000 to 40,000 illegal settlers in the West Bank and today there are more than 500,000 and growing. The actions of Israel, unfortunately supported by the United States of America, are exacerbating the problem for future generations of Israelis and Palestinians. General Petraeus, and other senior US army officers, have said that the US policy of supporting unconditionally Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is killing US soldiers in the Middle East. If a country's policy is killing its own soldiers, one would imagine it would change direction. Capitol Hill, which I visit from time to time, is often called Israeli-occupied territory as well because the grip of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC, on that piece of ground is overwhelming.

I am drifting from the motion, which I welcome. It deserves a hearing before the finance committee. Perhaps Senator Norris would raise the issue. We are talking to ourselves as we cannot even get the Minister to come in to talk to us. A motion could be tabled for the finance committee.