I congratulate Deputy Ennis on his maiden speech and on his election. I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion. Listening to the Minister of State's speech, with references to governing bodies, UEFA, regulations, rules, etc., you would imagine this is a mere matter of sports administration and competitions. Let us engage with that for just a minute. Even on that front, this is an open and shut case. This is a football association that is acting completely contrary to every rule, statute and convention of FIFA and of world sporting organisations. Article 64.2 of the FIFA statute states that it is completely prohibited for football clubs from one country to organise themselves in the occupied territory of another country. It is the rule under which Russia was suspended from FIFA. Similar rules have excluded Russia from other forms of competition. The UN convention against apartheid in sport includes clear statements in relation to human rights treatment and the manner in which sports organisations should organise. Three hundred sports facilities in Gaza and the West Bank have been destroyed in the past number of years. In terms of what people involved in football in the FAI, in Ireland, are saying, 89% of delegates say that they do not want this game to go ahead. That is the democratic body of the FAI. Two thirds of professional footballers are saying they do not want this to go ahead. Let us be frank. This is not simply a question of sports administration. This is a fixture against a state that is guilty of the greatest crimes of this century. This is a fixture against a football association which fully endorses that and fully endorses all the crimes that have happened in recent years. There have been 75,000 people killed in the past number of years, 20,000 of whom were children, and some 733 even since this supposed ceasefire. Children have been directly targeted. Hospitals have been directly targeted. Humanitarian refugee camps have been deliberately targeted. Aid has been refused. Medicines and food have been stopped at the border and even now are being delayed. What is getting through is barely a trickle. This is the same football association that is peopled and staffed by people who fully support and endorse this and wherever this fixture will take place, members of the Israeli Government will attend. On that, I do not even understand why we are discussing this issue of Hungary and other locations where the match might be played. It is an Irish non-solution to a different problem. It is an answer to a question that nobody asked. This is not about how Israel does in competitions or how this fixture might go. It is not even about policing. It is, I am sure, partially about policing. Unfortunately, the track record of Israeli fans at many fixtures is a problem. Fundamentally, the issue here is that predecessor governments have set the precedent for this Government. The Government has chosen to ignore it but the fact is that previous Irish governments made it clear that they believed the then apartheid South African Government, the Yugoslavian Government and the Russian Government should not have their actions legitimised by allowing their sporting organisations to participate in sporting competitions as if they were a fully respected and accepted member of the international community. That was the position then and it was the right position. Why is that not the position now? I do not think that is simply a matter of sports administration. I believe that is a matter of politics. There are worse governments than the Irish Government in Europe, yes, but when you look at the broader international scene, the Irish Government falls considerably short. It is always pulling its punches. We will see that later on tonight with the occupied territories Bill. Two thirds of trade with those occupied territories is the kind of trade the Department of foreign affairs and the Department of enterprise say themselves should not happen and there should be no trade with the occupied territories. Effectively, it will make an exception and permit trade in services with the occupied territories. It effectively legitimises it. In this area, the Government is pulling its punches and in that area, the Government is pulling its punches. The context here is that the Israelis are trying to narrow the ground and effectively destroy the potential for self determination for the Palestinian people to have their own state. It is not that we have to do just one thing. We should take every action possible. The game must not go ahead.

Sentiment score: 0.04