Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the argument that the Bill, if enacted, would gravely undermine Ireland's economic links to the United States, that is an argument some have made and we have to take it on board. We have to respect that people come from different perspectives and points of view, and they have made that point. It is very important that we emphasise those points.

Turning to the Palestinian-Israeli crisis, I believe we would all condemn any breaches of human rights, any situation that hurls people out of their homes or any situation that seeks to cut off essential water supplies and food, and denies people dignity. That is unacceptable, wherever one lives, wants to live or chooses to live to bring up a family. There is a history and while today is not the day for history lessons, I think we need to be careful in this regard. We all recognise that lands have been confiscated, there has been violence, homes have been demolished and there have been violations of people's human rights. We are right to be advocates in that regard. We would not be where we are in politics if we did not seek to be advocates and seek to have these issues addressed.

In conclusion, it is important that, as Members of the Oireachtas, we rightly focus on human rights defenders, support social activists and support people who support sustainable communities and sustainable workers. It is important that we stand in solidarity with the world in promoting justice and a durable peace for the Palestinian people and Israeli people, which is critical. I want to thank the proposers of this Bill for allowing this debate to happen. At least it gives a focus, although there is a lot more work to be done. We are members of the EU and we must work with the EU to have a response so that, somewhere along the line, we will have an everlasting peace and a recognition that people's rights cannot be violated and they must be allowed the right to self-determination and to live in peace with their neighbours.