99. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will meet with the Irish activists who were on board the Sumud and Thousand Madleen vessels of the freedom flotilla to Gaza to discuss their experiences, and the urgent need for a sustained ceasefire and full humanitarian access to Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57135/25]

Sentiment score: 0.24

Ba mhaith liom labhairt faoi rud éigin atá i mbéal an phobail agus is é sin go raibh go leor daoine ó Éirinn ar an turas ar an flotilla go dtí Gaza, where the Israeli Government illegally captured us all in international waters, completely broke international law and obtained Irish citizens. I am in a group chat with many of these Irish citizens and they would love to meet the Tánaiste to discuss this and the current, very delicate ceasefire, which I have heard him talk about. Will the Tánaiste be willing to meet these Irish citizens, who left their mothers, fathers and sons and daughters to risk themselves to break an illegal siege?

Sentiment score: -0.26

I welcome the fact that the Tánaiste spoke to me while I was on the flotilla and spoke to a Member of the other House, Senator Chris Andrews. I know that the Tánaiste and the Department over there and here did a lot of work. The Irish media sometimes portrays this as our having been detained. We were not. We were illegally captured in international waters. We have international law protecting us. That clearly was not even taken into account by the Israeli Government. On preserving the ceasefire, 45 UN experts called for the Uniting for Peace Resolution 377(V), part of the UN Charter, to be invoked on 5 September, before the UN General Assembly in New York, which the Tánaiste and the Minister of State attended. It will ensure lasting peace and can be enforced by the international military presence of the UN. What is unique about this is that it can be passed by a two-thirds majority of the UN members in an emergency special session of the General Assembly, outside of a Security Council. Other governments are calling for this and I urge the Irish Government to do the same.

Sentiment score: 0.19

I welcome that, and my office and Senator Andrews will definitely be in touch with the Tánaiste's officials about organising that. Resolution 377(V)A of the UN Charter bypasses a veto and is brought by vote through the General Assembly, not the Security Council, so it avoids P5 members. It cannot be voted against. Members can only vote for it or abstain as it ensures peace and security. The Tánaiste has spoken about this before. It has been used in Korea. The UN needs to be able to avoid vetoes. If the UN can continuously be vetoed by one of the P5 members, that goes against the original reason the UN was set up, which was to prevent genocides and humanitarian catastrophes from occurring. I urge the Irish Government to join multiple other UN governments and officials who have called for the Uniting for Peace Resolution 377(V)A.

Sentiment score: 0.19