In his regular statements, the Taoiseach is very happy to say - as am I - that Putin is a warmonger, tyrant and imperialist. The problem is, however, the people the Government wants us to ally with in the United States and Europe, are also brutal warmongers, imperialists and militarists. Trump is giving billions to Israel to commit a genocide in Gaza and is actively promoting the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. The first action of Friedrich Merz, the new Chancellor of Germany, is to invite Prime Minister Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal who is guilty of the genocidal massacres in Gaza and the horrific actions Israel is committing against Palestinians, to the country at the same time he proposes we spend billions more on weapons - hundreds of billions to use his phrase - similar to Ursula von der Leyen. Many European states and the US which the Government allies itself with are complicit in genocide. The Government is right to condemn Putin but will it acknowledge European leaders and the US are complicit in genocide? Will the Government call them out? Israel could not do it; it could not commit the crimes it is committing without the weapons provided by the United States, Germany, Britain, Italy and France. Will the Government say they are complicit in this genocidal horror? Yesterday, I heard a trauma surgeon from the United States working in Gaza describe a young infant who he said had the worst injuries he had ever seen in his life. The child's limbs were blown to pieces - mutilated - and he said that little baby will probably have to have all four limbs amputated. This is the horror, the brutality, the disgusting actions being done by Israel, with weapons provided by the Government's allies in Europe. Will the Government call them out for their crimes and distance this country from them? Will it stop facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds in the Central Bank?
Sentiment score: -0.25
When I spoke earlier, I asked the Minister of State whether this Government will stop facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds through the Irish Central Bank. It is an absolute outrage that that is allowed. Maybe the Minister of State’s official can fill him in there. I am quite happy if the Minister of State wants to confer with them.
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Okay. The Government raised its concern for the Middle East. In his speech, the Taoiseach said that he condemns the attacks that Israel has resumed against the people of Gaza and the ongoing attacks on the West Bank. The Government does not call it genocide. Its European partners refuse even to mention the name "Israel" when these horrific attacks are taking place, but the Taoiseach says he condemns it. I ask the Minister of State what the Government is going to do about it. As long as Israeli war bonds, which are being used to finance the horror that is being visited on the people of Gaza, continue to be sold through the Irish Central Bank, Ireland is complicit. Therefore, I ask the Minister of State whether the Government is going to do anything about that to show an example to his European colleagues who are up to their necks in complicity with this horrific action. My second question is this. Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic just released the thread he was in with JD Vance, Peter Hegseth and the various leading figures in the Trump Administration over the missile attacks on Yemen. In it, it says "From a messaging standpoint we absolutely ad this to of horribles on why the Europeans must invest in their defense."
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As they bomb Yemen, they are pushing Europe to spend more on defence. Is not the European Union dancing to the tune of the Trump Administration -----
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-----in its plans to ramp up military expenditure in Europe?
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That is not an answer.
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On a point of order, there are 20 minutes for questions and answers. If other people have questions, that is fine, but there is no strict time limit on this.
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Fine, that is okay, but there is nobody else signalling and there are 12 minutes on the clock.
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There was no need for the Acting Chair to try to -----
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Okay, grand. No problem. I am quite happy to give way to Deputy Lahart for a second question but I will take my second question. I asked the Minister of State a question about Jeffrey Goldberg and The Atlantic and the reference, to use the words in the chat, to adding to the “horribles on why the Europeans must invest in their defense" in the context of attacks on Yemen. I just want the Minister of State to understand the question here.
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Okay. I just want to elaborate in order that people understand. They are saying that they are prompting the European Union to spend more on defence, which Ursula von der Leyen and this Council are promising to do, with the current EU expenditure on weapons, at €356 billion, more than doubling to €800 billion, in their interests. The same regime is threatening tariffs against Europe and this country. Deputy McGrath thinks we should cuddle up to it, by the way. What does the Minister of State think about that? Does he think we ought to be dancing to their tune? On the issue of the war bonds -----
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Does the Minister of State accept that any country in Europe that is providing weapons to Israel is guilty of complicity with genocide?
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Do not worry, I will take your time.
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Not if the impartial Chair gets his way.
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