I am here to speak about the latest situation with regard to the occupied territories Bill. I have the privilege of being on the foreign affairs committee. I commend all members of that committee on the work that has been done to date. We are a crucial stage. I am seeking an update on the Government's view on the matter. We have had hours of legal discussion. We have met legal teams from all over the world. We met the ambassador. We met the person who took the lead on this - Senator Frances Black. She deserves enormous credit for the work she has done. I listened intently, as have all members of the committee, to the discussion on the six key requirements: an immediate ceasefire; recognition of the State of Palestine; challenge the EU-Israel trade agreement; and address the brutality of what is happening in the occupied territories. We must help rebuild the country. We must find a long-term solution to what is going on. As we discussed all the issues, for me, one box was not ticked, namely that relating to the people on the ground. I went to Cairo last weekend. I spoke with hardened people in NGOs who told me about the day-to-day experience and what is happening. I was involved previously when I went to Sri Lanka after the tsunami, but this is at a different level. What is happening out there has never been seen in my lifetime. When they wake up in the morning, children go scavenging, not for food but for wood for the fire. More than likely, the fire is in a tent and the temperature outside is 45°C. What is going on is just horrific. The men queue for food and the ladies in the house try to keep some normality. They use the bare rations that are available. I listened to evidence of what is happening at first hand. At this stage, the ladies are going out and getting water from the sea and boiling it. One lady told her kids to have a shower. She got the bottle of rationed water and stuck a pin in it and put the kids under the water. She could not use it all because she needed some of it to drink and make tea. There is no sanitation. The medical system is on its knees. There is little or no education. The so-called Israel-American humanitarian relief is an absolute insult to the word "humanity". People have to line up and fight for food. If they are out of order, they are shot – adults and kids. We do not know how many people have died. There are figures of between 70,000 and 100,000. The true facts should be known. The people who have genuine illnesses such as cancer – day-to-day illnesses that we take for granted over here – are not being treated. If we add them to the numbers, we can see that the situation is just horrendous. We know for a fact that 17,000 kids have died, of whom 1,700 were under the age of one. Those kids were shot before they could walk. When getting on the aeroplane to come home, my most abiding memory was of the youth. I really fear for the future of the youth. These kids have lost their parents. They have no education.

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They have no medical assistance. This is an important point. What is the future for them? In six years' time, they will be angry young men and women.

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They are going to say that the world looked on as they starved to death.

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I thank the Minister of State. I warmly welcome her response. Please God, we need to prepare now for life after the ceasefire. When this brutality stops, the key words of the NGOs are to the effect that we need a permanent solution. If we do not get one, we are going to be back here again in six months' time. We must watch closely the set-up in that regard, but, first, there must be a ceasefire. I mentioned young people. As part of the recovery we must look at their mentality, or else we will have a world swarming with angry young men and women that have suffered in this conflict. They have lost everything. They will be angry because they are watching the world doing nothing. That is why it is so important that we continue to take the lead. We must do everything that is legally possible. If we have to challenge some of the facts, we will challenge them. In our lifetime, we have never witnessed anything on this scale. As a result, we cannot be found wanting in the context of our response to these atrocities. I honestly feel the momentum is on our side. There is 100% cross-party support in this House. Everybody cares about this situation, but mere words are no good now. The people over there are fed up of words. We can see the kids in college in America. They are starting the uprising. That is where it starts. We can see a change in momentum in Europe. It is not fast enough, but it is happening. I appeal for us to be at the forefront and continue to fight for peace and justice, and a permanent solution in Palestine.

Sentiment score: 0.08