I thank Deputy Gibney for all her hard work on this motion. Moving the match to a neutral venue is not a solution; it is cowardice. The issue has never been where the game would be played. The issue is whether it should be played at all against an opponent actively committing genocide. A neutral venue will not make the game neutral. Across Ireland, there has been overwhelming public support for strong action in response to Israel’s barbarity but the Government has failed time and again to meet this moment and respond with the urgency needed. Instead, we get weak responses dressed up as difficult decisions, like finally introducing the occupied territories Bill after years of delay while gutting it by removing services. Similarly, the suggestion of moving the game to Hungary is an attempt to make the controversy go away. It is absolutely beyond belief that this Government can stand back and do absolutely nothing. Is this what passes for political leadership from this Government? Previous Governments were not so cowardly. In 1999, a Fianna Fáil Government took a stand in response to the atrocities in Kosovo and refused visas for Yugoslavian players, which was against the position of UEFA at the time and without the approval of the FAI. In 1999, we were not pretending that football existed in some separate moral universe. We understood the political power and symbolism of the game. What has changed? Israel is using sport to launder its international reputation in the midst of a genocidal campaign in Palestine and ethnic cleansing in Lebanon. Why are we facilitating that? The Irish people do not want this game to go ahead. Is anyone listening to them? It is the job of this Government to represent the people and not to sit back and remain silent as a genocidal state plays soccer in Europe while committing mass murder in Palestine. Government Ministers are boycotting a match which they refuse to say should not go ahead. They expect players to walk onto the pitch and carry the consequences for this Government’s political cowardice. The Minister of State said he does not disagree with the sentiment of this motion and went on to talk about his strength of feeling. He then read out, word for word, the same speech as the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, gave last night. This does not really display the sentiment that the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, expressed. It is completely unacceptable. Ireland should not be facilitating this game, not in Dublin, not in Hungary and not anywhere.

Sentiment score: -0.05