Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and outlining the issues and the Government's proposals and actions in response to what has happened in Palestine and Gaza recently. It is all too familiar given the previous attacks on Gaza by the Israelis, the escalating casualty count in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis that has been there since 2007 and well before that.

As we mark the anniversary of the Nakba, the catastrophe, of the Palestinian people and look at the consequences for them of the establishment of the state of Israel, we also have to look at the solutions in terms of engagement. We know that previously the US Government has acted as a negotiator, with the Oslo Accords being one of those occasions. Many have said it was a missed opportunity, but the Palestinians felt they were getting too little in the Oslo Accords. In the West Bank alone, the Israelis were getting 80% of the water resources with 20% for the Palestinian community, and water is a vital issue.

Given the deaths and shootings in Gaza, the phrase "disproportionate use of force" is an understatement. It sounded a bit like some of the statements put out by the British after Bloody Sunday. Yes, there was the throwing of stones, and yes, there were Molotov cocktails, but there was the use of live fire in response. The suggestion that some were using guns is always put out by the opposition.

It was Brian Lenihan senior who put forward our party's policy in 1980 on the issue of a two-state solution, which has been adopted by the EU and others since. At the time, Brian Lenihan said the Palestinian people had a right to self-determination to establish an independent state of Palestine. We believe this is possible, but it is only possible if we put all the elements of a peace process together. According to experts on peace negotiations, a number of elements are vital. One is a hurting stalemate, which is that both parties are hurting so much, and can inflict no more pain on each other, and so are willing to negotiate for peace. This is obviously not the situation that is prevailing currently in Israel and Palestine, although one side is hurting enormously, having had huge punishment befall them with innocent people being killed, as we saw last week. Then we need an honest broker. There has not been an honest broker in the situation and there is not one now. We also need to ensure there are no third parties acting against the peace process. As we know, Iran is acting against Israel, using proxies in the Middle East against Israel, and using some elements of the Palestinian community for its own ends. We also need leadership, and the leadership is not there or is unwilling to compromise from its position. The Israeli's point of view is they have what they want and they do not need to compromise on peace.

I have been to the West Bank and near the Gaza Strip. For such a small place it sure holds a lot of pain and suffering for many of its inhabitants, especially the young people living in Gaza and the West Bank. The Minister of State asked why young people went to the fence to see what was going on. It was because they have nothing else to do. People who have nothing else to do get radicalised, and we have seen this across Europe. We have seen it in Paris and Brussels and we have seen it in Northern Ireland. That is a crucial issue. The list of grievances the Palestinian community has is too numerous to mention in the time we have allocated. Take the issues of child detention, water, housing or settlements. When Ronald Reagan was President there were 40,000 illegal settlements in the West Bank. Today there are more than half a million. As we know, this is a problem not just for future generations but for centuries to come.

We acknowledge that the move by the US Government to put its embassy in Jerusalem has not assisted the peace process in any way, shape or form and has removed the US as an independent broker in the situation. We have to ask ourselves what is the solution. We must also acknowledge the fact the Muslim world has a role to play and it does not seem to be doing anything in a substantive way any more to assist the Palestinian communities that are scattered around Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, previously in Syria, Lebanon and other places.

Where we are now does not seem like there is much hope, but there has to be solution because what we have now is not sustainable. Israel needs to recognise it does need to be generous in what it should do for the Palestinians who are on its doorstep, because people who do not have hope have nothing to lose. The Israelis have to make sure they provide a pathway for the peaceful and prosperous future that the Palestinian people deserve to have in their own homeland, as the Israeli people deserve to live in peace. This is why we continue to support the two-state solution we advocated in 1985 through the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Lenihan.