Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)

Late last year, it was announced that the State would be purchasing four German-built multi-use Airbus helicopters for use by the Defence Forces at a cost of €92 million. In January, The Journal reported that these helicopters contained flight system components manufactured by the Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems, despite the Government stating at an earlier stage that its position was to avoid purchasing Israeli military technology.

These helicopters are built with the capability to fire Israeli-built Spike anti-tank missiles. In response to parliamentary questions about these missiles, the Department informed me that these helicopters are future-proofed to allow the integration of guided missiles if the State chooses to have that capability. The Department also said that the State does not currently, and that is the key word, intend to purchase Israeli military technology. However, given that the State is already acquiring Israeli military technology through the avionics systems of these helicopters, I cannot help but doubt the strength of this commitment. In particular, the word “currently” suggests to me that the Government could, at its convenience, decide to buy Israeli weapons if it saw a good deal or if it thought it could get away with doing so because the public was not going to make a big fuss about it.

I would be gravely concerned if a single cent from Ireland went to the Israeli state, much less the Israeli armaments industry.

While Israel is in the middle of committing a genocide against the civilian population of Gaza, the idea that Ireland would be actively supporting the Israeli armaments industry, or even leaving the door open to purchasing Israeli weapons in the future, is completely unacceptable. Israel has been killing thousands of men, women and children across Gaza and the West Bank, committing crimes on an unimaginable scale. The Irish Government must do everything it can to help the Palestinian people and to build political and economic pressure on Israel to stop the genocide. The absolute most basic and very obvious step in this regard is simply not to buy Israeli weapons or military technology. We need an ironclad commitment from the Government that we will not have any links - commercial, scientific or otherwise – to the Israeli military industrial machine as long as the genocide of the Palestinians continues.

The Minister of State needs to clarify this issue and commit, without reservation, that Ireland will not continue to be complicit in what the Israeli war machine is doing. That will not be done by purchasing Israeli arms as long as the State of Israel continues to deny the Palestinian people their human rights and dignity.

Additionally, in relation to these specific helicopters, I would appreciate if the Minister of State would confirm whether any of the components were manufactured or designed in Israel or by Israeli companies. If they were, why was the State's procurement process not adequately followed?

There is clearly something amiss here. Ireland has been complicit in the genocide in Gaza. It has facilitated the flights of military equipment through Irish airspace.Now, the Government is talking about the occupied territories Bill as if it is the same Bill that Senator Black proposed. It will be so watered down that it will not look anything like that occupied territories Bill.