Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

We absolutely condemn this and we have called for the immediate release of everybody who has been taken by Israel. We have never said anything else. We could not be clearer about that, just like Minister Albares, who was quoted earlier. We have worked very closely with Spain and other countries for the past couple of years on these issues.

I completely echo the sentiments of Senators across the House. I welcome the family members in the Gallery. I will be happy to engage with them after this debate. The depth of feeling, in Ireland and, I have to say, across Europe, is very clear. Irish men and women have sought to deliver aid and act upon their consciences, and they find themselves in uncertain and potentially dangerous circumstances. The Taoiseach said this. I urge people who have not yet got as far as the Global Sumud flotilla to reflect on what he said because it reflects the reality of the situation.

Israel is not a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, for example, although it has certain associations. It has an association agreement with the EU and is subject to a human rights clause. There was a determination by Kaja Kallas and her team that there was a breach of that clause. What is the difficulty with that? This is where Senators have a role to play. The difficulty is that not all member states agree with the determination or want to take action as a result of it. I have been engaging with a number of member states over the summer on this. I said publicly in July, when I was at the Foreign Affairs Council, that the European Union has leverage and must use it, but we can use it only if the Council of Ministers, the Foreign Affairs Council, takes a decision. Unfortunately, for many decisions we need unanimity, and for others we need a qualified majority to agree. My assessment at the moment is that there is not a qualified majority but a blocking minority of member states. What can Senators do about that? I would certainly encourage them to talk to their colleagues in Germany and Italy, engage with them and ask why they are not on the same page as Ireland, what assurances they need and what needs to happen for them to change their opinion. That opinion is changing in some of these countries.

We saw Italy and Spain provide ships and a level of protection. We cannot do that because we have a legal provision called the triple lock. We do not have the capability either. What is said about breaking the siege and all that will not happen. In fact, the Italian and Spanish ships stopped short of where the flotilla is, as I understand it.