92. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will consider not granting authorisation for future stopovers of US military planes and planes under the command of the US military in Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57130/25]

Sentiment score: -0.07

For a long time we have allowed the US military to use Shannon Airport. Over a number of years, we have seen countless protests on this subject - it has been decades, in fact - of a threat to our neutrality and a facilitation of US military operations which contravene our foreign policy. Despite this, on 12 October a US Department of War charter plane carrying troops and munitions of war to Israel was authorised by the Tánaiste and Minister for foreign affairs to stop at Shannon Airport. Why did he allow this and will he continue to do so?

Sentiment score: -0.32

In November 2023, the then Fine Gael leader, Leo Varadkar, told the Dáil that no US military flights going through Shannon were going to Israel. This seems to have been the policy of successive Irish Governments since 2006. Now it appears that as well as diplomatic clearance, the Department of Transport signed off on the plane carrying munitions of war through Irish airspace to Israel, as well as US troops. Why now? Cen fáth anois? After all that has happened, after all Israel has done with US support, is this acceptable to the Minister, his Department and the Government? Why is it acceptable to allow our airspace and airports to be used to carry troops and weapons to Israel? I ask again: why has this been allowed? Will the Minister continue to allow it?

Sentiment score: 0.10

It is 12 October.

Sentiment score: 0.00

No, 12 October, this month.

Sentiment score: -0.30

That is correct.

Sentiment score: 0.00

I find it baffling that the Minister cannot tell me why he has allowed this to happen. He is saying that it is the Department of Transport. Surely this is a foreign affairs issue, and surely he should be taking responsibility for it. It has been raised in this Chamber many times. It was bad enough that we have stood by and allowed munitions of war to pass through Irish airspace en route to Israel without permission, a crime the Government has failed to prosecute a single company for. It was bad enough that we have continued to allow the US military to use our airports despite all the harm it has done and continues to do globally in the execution of US foreign policy. What is worse is that we are now allowing the US military and the US Department of War, newly named, to use Shannon Airport en route to Israel. I am not just asking when enough is enough. Why has the Government taken this complicity a step further? Why has the Government decided to do so now?

Sentiment score: -0.09