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

I mention this because it is necessary to tackle head on the arguments being put forward by some in Israel that these actions could be a justification for the deeply disproportionate Israeli response. I was also very clear that stone throwing does not in any way justify the use of live ammunition on young people and protesters who were unarmed. I was very specific in making this point over again.

Many Senators referred to Senator Black's occupied territories Bill, which was debated here earlier this year and which we will discuss again before the summer break. The Tánaiste has already committed to this. The Government is very much aware that the intention in proposing the Bill is to show Ireland's clear support for the Palestinian people and to show condemnation of the creeping annexation of Palestinian land by Israel in the form of these illegal settlements. I assure the House that the Government is wholly opposed to the construction of these settlements in Palestinian territory and has consistently condemned their relentless expansion, which undermines the very basis for the two-state solution.