Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State for coming in again. He is always very engaged and open, and that is appreciated by everybody in the House. The investment is very welcome. Ireland does overseas aid really well, and that is very important. As the Minister of State said, investment in the global south affects communities here. I am not sure how we can get that message across. It is a case of delivering that message because it is really important and it is linked. The overseas aid is so important.

Last month's so-called ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas provided an opportunity for some degree of respite, but in my view, the heightened extreme genocide has just been decelerated. There is still genocide. More than 200 people have been killed by Israel since the so-called ceasefire, and it is still using food and water to kill and punish people. The humanitarian corridor that should have been opened years ago is still not open fully and is still being controlled by Israel. There are still F16s and F35s flying overhead, there are still walls surrounding the Gaza Strip, and there are still restrictions on people going very far out to sea. People talk about peace, and we all want to see peace for Palestinians and for everyone, but peace cannot exist unless there is justice. Peace will not last unless there is justice, human rights, equality and freedom of movement. Frankly, I do not believe Israel is going to allow Palestinians any sense of justice. It is not going to give them any sense of the control over their own lives that is required if we are going to have a genuine peace.

It is really important now more than ever that Israel is held accountable for what it has done and what it continues to do. Without accountability, Israel over the past 70 years has slowly dismantled and accelerated the dismantling of international law, the rule of law and the legal frameworks we use. Even Ursula von der Leyen has facilitated European countries stepping outside the legal framework that is there for European democracies. She has allowed countries to step outside that legal framework in order to clamp down on and smash peaceful protests across Europe. When you see more than 150 European citizens kidnapped from international waters, you cannot help but think Israel has no respect for international law.It has proven that is the case. No one is holding it to account. There has been no end to the violence. Israel continues to terrorise Palestinians in Gaza and also in the West Bank. Day after day, there are breaches of international law. Israel is increasing the number of settlements, which are obviously illegal. It is something on which we have to hold it to account.

Before the previous election, the Government parties said they were going to look at and support the passing of the occupied territories Bill. That was a shift from where they had been because the Bill had been around for many years and they had not supported it. Coming up to the election, they said they would support the occupied territories Bill, yet it is nearly a year now and nothing has happened with the Bill. There has been some scrutiny of it in the committee but there is no sense that the Bill is going to be passed. That is beyond disappointing from this Government. It is something that we need to tackle.

I again compliment the Minister of State on his engagement and his commitment to his brief.