Garret Kelleher (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Smyth, as ucht teacht isteach. Cuirim fáilte roimh an rún atá os ár gcomhair tráthóna inniu ó Sheanadóirí Fhianna Fáil. Is tábhachtach an rud é gach iarracht gur féidir linn a dhéanamh ón tír seo teacht ar réiteach ar an gcoimhlint sa Mhéan-Oirthear agus deireadh a chur leis an gcogadh.

In response to the unspeakable murder by Hamas of almost 1,200 innocent Israelis and foreign nationals and the taking hostage of more than 250 others on 7 October 2023, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that his objective and that of the Israeli Government was to destroy Hamas. After almost two years of relentless bombing and killing, the destruction of virtually all infrastructure in Gaza and the starvation of the Palestinian people, we ask the simple question: when will it all end? Because of the nebulous and undefined nature of Netanyahu's Government's objectives, it appears that what quickly became very much a one-sided war will go on indefinitely.

On Friday last, I met Habib Al Ostaz and his brother Ramzi in Cork to discuss the enormity of the issues being faced on a daily basis by their family in Gaza. Both young men are in their 20s. Understandably, Habib was very downhearted. I tried to lift his spirits by referring to the then impending news of new countries indicating that they would formally recognise the State of Palestine. Habib politely told me that he did not care. He simply wants the war to end and for his family to be safe. He had just received the news the previous day that his first cousin had been killed by an Israeli drone attack. He abhors Hamas and sees no role for it in Palestine's future. As stated by the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, to date, more than 65,000 Palestinian people have been killed by Israel, including more than 20,000 children. Habib and Ramzi have a younger brother in Gaza who is five years old. I have a young son at home who is five years old as well and his primary concerns are building on the friendships he is starting in junior infants and whether Bukayo Saka will be fit to play at the weekend. These are entirely different concerns to the young five-year-old boy in Gaza.

As elected representatives in Ireland, we find ourselves asking what more can we do to help bring about and end to the war and to help create a better and more hopeful future for Palestine, Israel and all of the Middle East. In this regard, the importance of working with our international partners cannot be overstated. In the absence of strong, disinterested and impartial international leadership from some of the world's larger countries, the EU must look to take a more central role on the international stage.

John Hume once described the European Union as the best example of conflict resolution in the history of world. A little more than five years after the passing of one of Ireland's greatest ever people, the time has come for the EU to play its part in helping to bring the war to an end. I welcome the fact that to date, 157 of the 193 United Nations member states have formally recognised the State of Palestine, including the UK and almost half of the EU member states. Ireland needs to continue to work with its international partners to encourage more countries to do the same. I also welcome the finding of the UN special committee that Israel's warfare methods in Gaza are consistent with genocide, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war. However, the power of the United Nations to make a strong and more meaningful intervention is hindered by the continued use of vetoes by some member states. Therefore, I believe that Ireland's diplomatic efforts should continue to be focused more on persuading fellow EU member states and the EU as a whole to do more, including imposing stronger sanctions and banning the export of arms for the duration of the war.

I want to once again state my concern about the ongoing use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's, IHRA, definition of antisemitism. This definition should be looked at more critically. It is accepted internationally and in the European Union. It was also referenced in Ireland's programme for Government. This should be looked at again.