I move amendment No. 1: To delete all the words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes the ceasefire deal in Gaza and the release of hostages that has taken place to date; urges all parties to ensure full implementation of all phases of this agreement and commends the effort of stakeholders for their ongoing efforts as facilitators; deplores the loss of so many civilian lives, in Gaza and in Israel; recalls that this House has condemned the brutal attacks by Hamas in Israel on 7th October, 2023, and has emphasised that the taking of hostages is unconscionable; reiterates its call for the urgent scaling up of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza and the need to ensure its safe and unhindered distribution; underlines the indispensable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and stresses that no other United Nations (UN) Agency or actor has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA's unique mandate and experience in delivering humanitarian assistance, and in delivering education, health services and relief and social services in Gaza, the West Bank and across the region; expresses its grave concern at the entry into force of Israeli legislation on UNRWA, which will have far-reaching consequences for UNRWA's operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Gaza; emphasises the need to support the Palestinian Authority in returning to a governance role in Gaza and welcomes that the United Nations Security Council, in its Resolution 2735 of 10th June, 2024, reiterated its unwavering commitment to the two-state solution and stressed the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority; in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2735, rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza; expresses its belief that there can be no sustainable peace in the Middle East until the Israeli and Palestinian peoples alike can realise the same rights to self-determination, statehood, peace, security and dignity; reiterates its support for the two-state solution based on 1967 borders, with the State of Israel, and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign, and viable State of Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security and mutual recognition, with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states; deplores the record levels of settlement expansion, settler violence and displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank; underlines the requirement of all parties to comply with their obligations under international law; welcomes the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 19th July, 2024; welcomes the launch of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution the UN General Assembly in September 2024 and related follow-up within this framework; welcomes that a Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions will be convened by Switzerland in March of this year on the protection of civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory; welcomes the convening by the UN in June of this year of a High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia; recalls that: — Ireland's approach is grounded in respect for international law and support for the two-state solution; — Ireland has demonstrated clear and consistent leadership at European Union (EU) and international level on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; — close coordination with international partners, notably within the EU and also with our Arab partners, is indispensable to these efforts; — in May 2024, Ireland recognised the State of Palestine, doing so in coordination with several other partners in order to build momentum behind efforts to implement the two-state solution; and — in light of the July 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice and the subsequent advice of the Attorney General, the Government decided to review the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 [Seanad] working with Senator Frances Black and that the Government's analysis was that substantive amendments would be required to most, if not all, of the Bill's provisions in order to bring it in line with the Constitution and to try to reduce the risk of EU infringement procedures; and agrees that: — the Government will progress legislation prohibiting goods from Occupied Palestinian Territories following the July 2024 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion; — the Government will, in parallel, continue to press for action at the EU level in light of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion; — the urgent focus of Ireland, the EU and the international community must be on ensuring the full and successful implementation of all phases of the ceasefire and hostage release deal; — at this sensitive and critical juncture, the Government will continue to prioritise concrete policies and actions that contribute to improving the situation on the ground, and keeping momentum towards a sustainable peace based on the two-state solution; — the Government will continue to work with likeminded partners, the EU and the international community to protect the indispensable role and mandate of UNRWA; — the Government will continue to work closely with European and Arab partners on implementing the two-state solution, including through close engagement with the work of the Global Alliance and the UN High-level International Conference in June; and — the Government will continue to support, at national and EU level, the Palestinian Authority in reforming and building its institutional capacity." I say to Deputies opposite that we must also be lawful in what we do. We must also be honest in what we do. We must also not selectively quote comments made by my predecessor in this position, the Taoiseach, when he attended the foreign affairs committee. I will get to that in a moment. I welcome Senator Black to the Gallery and congratulate her on her re-election. I look forward to meeting her in the coming days. I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire and congratulate him on his appointment. I look forward to working with him. Tonight is an important opportunity to update the House on developments in Gaza and the Middle East since the Dáil was last in session. This must be one of the only chambers in the world where the opposition would assert that the Government of Ireland has not been on the side of the people of Palestine, human rights and international law. Ask the Spanish Government, the Norwegian Government, the Slovenian Government, the members of the European Council, the President of Palestine, the Prime Minister of Palestine and the ambassador of Palestine whether they believe the Government of Ireland, on behalf of the people of Ireland, has stood up for international law, human rights and the right of the Palestinian people to the self-determination of their future and to live in a state of their own, alongside the State of Israel, in peace and security. It is only the Opposition that seeks to suggest that the Government of Ireland does not stand with the people of Palestine. The people of Ireland know that. We hear lofty phrases such as "any government on the side of humanity". This Government is on the side of humanity. We also represent the people of Ireland. Sinn Féin does not have any sort of monopoly on that and it must be exhausting suggesting it does. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. I do so knowing how deeply the people of this country care about what they are witnessing, what they have been witnessing for many years in the Middle East and what they have been witnessing since 7 October 2023. I believe it is their wish that we in the Oireachtas should work together on these matters and that we should look at all of the levers that we can pull as a country to help to bring about a lasting peace. I believe they welcome many of the actions we have taken to date. Rather than being divisive in our language, there is broad agreement on many of the fundamental issues that need to be addressed in Ireland's overarching approach. However, the motion tabled today does not reflect the track record of sustained and principled action by the Irish Government on this issue. The motion is also fundamentally inaccurate. I note for the official Dáil record that a paragraph of the motion relating to a meeting of the Oireachtas Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence on 5 November 2024 incorrectly attributes comments to officials in my Department. These comments were in fact made, surely in good faith, by an adviser to Senator Black who was invited to intervene by the Chair of the committee.
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May I take it when I have finished?
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Will the clock be paused?
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I welcome that, but the motion published and publicised by Sinn Féin yesterday wrongly attributed comments to officials in my Department.
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I accept that, but it is important that Department of Foreign Affairs officials are not misrepresented in their comments. I stand by their integrity in what they say. I am submitting an amendment on behalf of the Government that sets out the full range of meaningful actions taken by the Government as well as our broad approach to important recent developments and current considerations. Last month saw agreement on a long-awaited ceasefire and a hostage release deal. This has brought much-needed hope and relief to the people of Israel and the people of Palestine, whose lives have been devastated by conflict. I have welcomed the release of the hostages - sadly, the Opposition motion is silent on that - who have been returned to their families since the deal came into effect. We reiterate that all remaining hostages must be returned to their families. I recall the motion previously adopted by this House, which unreservedly condemned the brutal attacks perpetrated by Hamas and other terrorist organisations on 7 October 2023, which indiscriminately and systematically targeted civilians. The taking of hostages in any scenario is unconscionable. In the 16 months since then, this House has often expressed its deep concern about the unacceptable loss of civilian life and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. We underlined that Israel had a right to defend itself from attack but any such right had to be exercised in line with international law, including international humanitarian law. With a ceasefire deal now in place, our priority bilaterally and as a member of the European Union must be to make sure the ceasefire is implemented and upheld and the hostage release deal continues. We must also focus on steps that will support the provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza, something that the people of Gaza and Palestine and the Palestinian Authority are crying out for. While there has been a much-needed increase in the volume of aid entering Gaza in recent days, we need to see this significantly scaled up and the return of basic services, the provision of shelter and a clear framework under which those who have been displaced by the conflict can return home. I recognise the efforts of many countries to help bring about a ceasefire. These mediation efforts must continue to ensure that the agreement is implemented in full in all of its phases. Of course, there will be a need for international involvement, including by the United States and others, in order to stabilise and reconstruct Gaza, but let me be clear: this country, the European Union and international partners have been consistently clear that there can be no forced displacement of any civilian population from Gaza nor occupation of the strip by Israel. A two-state solution and the right of the people of Palestine to determine their own future has to be the destination. Any move to relocate any population against its will is absolutely contrary to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735 of 10 June 2024, which rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip. The Irish Government and Ireland are clear on that. The focus of the international community has to be on ensuring that efforts are made to continue the implementation of the ceasefire. Against this backdrop, it was enormously disheartening, to put it mildly, to see the entry into force last week of Israeli legislation that will have far-reaching consequences for UNRWA's operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. No other UN agency or actor has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA's unique mandate. Ireland has provided more than €51 million in support for the Palestinian people since October 2023. This includes €38 million in core support for UNRWA, increasing our contribution to UNRWA when others were withdrawing theirs. It also includes contributions to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme and others. Ireland has been a long-standing supporter of UNRWA and we will continue to support its vital mandate. I hope this Dáil can speak with one voice on that. The UN Security Council has reiterated its unwavering commitment to the two-state solution and stressed the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority. The EU is active in its support to the Palestinian Authority and is taking action on the ground. Last week, the EU's civilian border assistance mission for the Rafah crossing point was redeployed at the request of Palestine and Israel in agreement with Egypt. The redeployment of EUBAM Rafah is a positive development, which Ireland has worked for and strongly supported. The Government has continued to maintain the intensive engagement with international partners, notably EU and Arab partners, that has been the hallmark of our approach. As Tánaiste, I have continued these contacts, including in recent days. At the Foreign Affairs Council last week, I underlined the need to focus on the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza while also taking a longer term perspective that prioritised the two-state solution, including addressing threats to its viability. I have also had calls with a number of counterparts, including the Jordanian foreign minister. Ireland is centrally involved in the work of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which was formally launched during last year's UN high-level week. This includes close co-operation with Arab and Gulf partners, including Saudi Arabia. As set out in the programme for Government, the situation in the Middle East remains a central foreign policy priority. Notably, the programme advocates for a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine through the realisation of the two-state solution. Ireland was proud to recognise the State of Palestine in May of last year. We took this important step to keep hope in the two-state solution alive. Throughout this terrible situation, Ireland has bilaterally and at a multilateral level repeatedly called on Israel to comply with international law, stressing the universal applicability of international law, including international humanitarian law. This commitment has been supported by our actions. On 6 January, Ireland filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa's ICJ case against Israel under the Genocide Convention. A declaration of intervention was also filed in the Gambia's case against Myanmar on 20 December 2024. The purpose of both interventions is for Ireland to set out the factors it considers relevant in assessing whether a state has properly fulfilled its obligations under the convention. I am clear on what the programme for Government says. Following the July 2024 International Court of Justice advisory opinion, the Government will progress legislation on the occupied Palestinian territories. As Taoiseach, I sought the updated legal advice in that regard. We will work with Senator Black and across the House on this matter but I must be honest, in that the issues are not technical issues, as Sinn Féin has portrayed them. There are major legal issues. The people of Ireland need to know that. "Pass the Bill now" sounds great-----
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They are major legal issues.
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They have all been detailed and legal advices, including those of the legal adviser from the Department of Foreign Affairs, have been shared at the committee. We are happy to provide further detail. It is about getting legislation that is lawful, Deputy McDonald, not about pretending to do something for the sake of it. We must get this right. We must continue to work in that regard. The Deputy should not tut-tut at me and suggest that she has a monopoly on this issue. The Irish Government-----
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We do not need tut-tutting. We can be a little more mature in this debate.
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You can do what you want, but you can be a little more mature in relation to this.
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This Government has taken a number of actions on behalf of the Irish people. I am proud of the approach Ireland has taken. I believe Irish people are proud of the approach we have taken. We are on the right side of history in this country. The Palestinian people and the President of the Palestinian National Authority know that too. One day, the Deputy might also acknowledge the positive efforts of this Government and the people of this country to help bring about a two-state solution. In the meantime, we will work to progress legislation in line with the programme for Government. However, we will only work to progress legislation that is lawful and constitutional and that complies with EU law.
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I genuinely did.
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