I listened intently to the Minister's speech. One of the things that struck me about it was that he mentioned many of the things that the Irish Government has done, recognising Palestine and all of the various actions that were taken, many of which we commend the Government for, and there is no issue with that. The problem is that when it comes to things that will actually give us real teeth, set us apart and give us a leadership role in the world, Ireland again steps back and holds back. That is the difficulty with this. The Minister made the point that the Bill that was before him did not do what it says it does. That is not true. The truth is - we try to find the things we can agree on - that Israeli State bonds, these war bonds or genocide bonds, have to be approved by some central bank in Europe. It is the Irish one that does it. It is not the central bank in France, Italy or any other country; it is the Irish one that does it and by approving them, then it facilitates them for sale. That is the point that we make. We are not suggesting that they are sold by the Irish Central Bank. We are not suggesting any of that.

Sentiment score: -0.06

What we are saying is they are facilitated by the approval of the Irish Central Bank-----

Sentiment score: 0.48

-----and that is what needs to stop. It is clear that the Irish Government has an opportunity to play a leadership role. Thankfully, many more states in Europe are beginning to shift their attitude towards the genocidal state that Israel has become. The reality is that this conflict did not start 18 months ago. It started in 1947 and has gone on since. The people of Palestine have been under the cosh of an imperial power since then, continually taking their territory and continually destroying their lives. What we have seen going on Gaza over the past little while is an absolute atrocity beyond the beyond and we have to step up and make a stand. This is an opportunity for the Irish State to lead in that. I appeal to the Minister to be part of that leadership and show the world that we will not be held back, that we, the Irish people who have struggled for centuries against imperialism, can lead the fight against imperialism today.

Sentiment score: -0.03