Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The very passionate contributions we have heard today reflect the deep and long-standing engagement the House has had with the situation in Palestine. I spoke at the outset about the loss of hope of the people of Gaza and Palestinians in general, how they are dealing with this incredible level of atrocity being committed against them and how it is feeding into the desperate acts that cause ordinary people, including children, to put their lives in danger while venting their frustrations through peaceful protest. I spoke also about what more needs to be done to address the situation of hopelessness, and considerable work has already been done by Members of the House, many of whom have visited the region to bring attention to the plight of the Palestinian people and propose ways to contribute to their ongoing well-being.

Some Senators have taken exception to the Government acknowledging that some protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails.