Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to first acknowledge the Tánaiste's statement on this matter. I thank him for being in the Seanad this morning and for his continuing commitment to peace. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, here today.

Gaza, unfortunately, is now synonymous with suffering, displacement, human tragedy and genocide. Let me begin by reaffirming a belief shared across this Chamber, which is the right of all people, Palestinian and Israeli, to live in peace, dignity and security. Let there be no ambiguity here. The scenes we have witnessed in recent months are heartbreaking, with families torn apart, children killed and homes reduced to rubble. Ireland is not indifferent to the suffering of civilians no matter who they are or where they come from. In regard to Gaza and the rights of civilians we have been a leader in Europe. It is disappointing that so many of our European counterparts are not taking the same position. The European Union as a collective needs to act now because there is no excuse.

I rise today not just to express sympathy, important though that is, but to address how this debate is unfolding in our national discourse. I am concerned that the tragedy of Gaza is increasingly being used in Irish politics as a blunt instrument to signal virtue, to provoke and to divide rather than to heal, to inform or to help. It is being politicised in a populist fashion that is doing little to advance peace and even less to honour our own values of integrity, diplomacy and justice. Ireland has long had a proud tradition of supporting peace processes, from East Timor to South Africa to the Middle East. We have sent peacekeepers, diplomats and humanitarians into some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, not to posture but to protect. That tradition carries a moral weight and a diplomatic responsibility. What we increasingly see today, in this Chamber and beyond, is a rush to the megaphone rather than actual resolution. We see slogans in place of substance and anger in place of engagement. There is a difference between passionate advocacy and populist grandstanding. When the issue is as grave as the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, we owe it to Palestinians and Israelis, and to ourselves, to do better. We cannot be disingenuous on this. We need to work as a team across all parties and none. Let us be clear, the path to justice for the Palestinian people does not run through our social media feeds. It runs through complex, painful and sustained international diplomacy, the kind that requires more than condemnation. It requires courage, compromise and consistency. Fine Gael has long supported a two-state solution based on international law whereby Israel and Palestine can live side by side in peace.We have consistently called out the occupation and the expansion of settlements. We have also defended the right of Israel to exist and to protect its citizens from terror. These are not contradictory positions; they are the foundations of any real peace. History, especially our history, teaches us that conflict is never simple and peace is never easy. It must be built, it cannot be imposed. It requires voices that do not seek applause but seek answers. We cannot be arrogant enough to think we can empathise with the trauma innocent Palestinians are going through every day. We can only sympathise. Some 56,000 men, women and children have been killed. There is an obligation on all of us to do what we can.

To those who wield the suffering of Gaza as a political sword, this is not a contest for who can shout the loudest but a test of who can lead with compassion and truth. Let us use our platform here not to outbid each other in our outrage but to champion diplomacy, humanitarian support and constructive engagement. Let us support international efforts to bring about an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, humanitarian access and, ultimately, a political resolution. Let us do so, not for points scored in an Irish debate, but for the very real people in Gaza, Israel and across the region who live every day with the consequences of a conflict they did not choose.