I move amendment No. 2: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes: — that the Irish people are deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and Gulf region, particularly the situation in Palestine, and that the Government is committed to working with key partners to end the conflict; — that Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law, and the Government continues to press for appropriate action, both at European Union (EU) and international level, in response to egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles; — Ireland's commitment to working with key partners to end the conflict in Gaza, and to advancing a sustainable peace plan and addressing the huge challenges facing Palestinians in Gaza; — the Government's grave concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with intolerable conditions; — that Israel must immediately remove restrictions on aid access and facilitate essential supplies and services to reach people across the Gaza Strip; — the Government's condemnation of the law passed by the Israeli parliament to expand the scope of the death penalty and revive its implementation in Israel and occupied Palestine; — the particular concerns about the discriminatory nature of the law as it relates to Palestinians, and that the implementation of this law would give rise to serious breaches of international human rights law and international humanitarian law; — the approval and publication of the text of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026, noting that the Bill fulfils the commitment set out in the Programme for Government, to progress legislation to prohibit the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, and further noting the proposed introduction of the Bill in Dáil Éireann this week; — that, in line with the Taoiseach's statement, Ireland will act to prevent those members of the Government of Israel who have been instrumental in fomenting the unfolding disaster in Gaza, and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has instructed immigration officers to refuse entry to Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security of Israel, and Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance of Israel, should they seek to enter Ireland; — Ireland's support of an EU-wide prohibition on trade with Israeli settlements, and that at both the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) and the FAC Trade in May, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, requested that the European Commission bring forward proposals for a prohibition on EU trade with settlements, on the basis of the EU's Common Commercial Policy, and furthermore, that the Minister also reiterated Ireland's longstanding position that the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended or, at a minimum, that the trade elements should be suspended; — that a number of other member states supported Ireland's call for stronger collective EU action, and agreed that targeted sanctions alone cannot substitute for meaningful measures relating to trade with illegal settlements; and — that the Taoiseach also wrote to European Council President, António Costa, on 20th May, reiterating Ireland's position on EU trade with Israel, and requesting an urgent discussion of these issues among EU leaders at the next meeting of the European Council on 18-19 June; in relation to sport, further notes that: — the performance and integrity of our top athletes on the international stage have a very positive representational impact for Ireland, as Irish sport provides the world with a window into Ireland and the Irish people, both at home and abroad; — international success for our top sports people enriches our country in a variety of ways, and Ireland's achievements on the global sporting stage have been a cause of both celebration and inspiration for the Irish public, and will continue to be so into the future; and — the Government is committed to supporting Irish athletes competing at the highest level of international competition; and recognises that: — national governing bodies of sport, such as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), are independent, autonomous bodies responsible for the governance of their own sports, including the organisation of sporting fixtures, whether in domestic or international competitions; — it is the role of the FAI to decide to fulfil its UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel in September (home) and October (away); — the FAI has stated that it intends to fulfil both fixtures against Israel; and — the Government acknowledges the FAI's independence and autonomy in arriving at this decision and any decisions it may make in the coming days.". I thank Sinn Féin for its motion this evening. I wish the Irish ladies' football team well, whose match coincides with this motion. They will start to play very shortly in Grenoble, France, on what could be a really historic occasion. Should they win, it will be the most historic occasion we will have had in Irish women's football, and indeed in Irish football in our history. I am sure everyone in the Chamber will join me in wishing them really well this evening. Good luck to them. It is unfortunate that the nature of what we are discussing is very different and grave and that is what we are focusing on, understandably. As we all recognise, people across this country are very deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and the Gulf region, and particularly the situation in Palestine. The Government is committed to working with key partners to end the conflict and advance a sustainable peace plan. Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law and the Government continues to press for appropriate action, both at EU and international level, in response to egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles. The Government calls on Israel to immediately remove restrictions on aid access and facilitate essential supplies and services to reach people across the Gaza Strip. There have been many calls for Irish sports organisations to boycott or exclude Israel from international sporting competitions, in the context of the conflict in Gaza. These include, of course, the issue we are discussing tonight, which is the Football Association of Ireland being asked not to fulfil its UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel in the autumn. It is important to note however that national governing bodies, NGBs, of sport, such as the FAI, are independent, autonomous bodies responsible for the governance of their sports, including the organisation of sporting fixtures, whether in domestic or international competitions. The Government and Sport Ireland have no role in determining or supporting the organisation of such fixtures. At the end of the day, we in this Chamber do not decide who plays who in sport, whether at a domestic or international level.

Sentiment score: 0.19

The FAI has stated that it intends to fulfil both fixtures against Israel in accordance with its obligations as a member of UEFA and the Government acknowledges the FAI’s independence and autonomy in arriving at this decision and any decisions it may make in the coming days. The performance and integrity of our top athletes on the international stage have a very positive representational impact for Ireland, as Irish sport provides the world with a window into our country and the Irish people, both at home and abroad. International success for our top sports people enriches our country in a variety of ways. Many of our fondest memories are centred on Ireland’s achievements on the global sporting stage. These achievements have been a cause of celebration and inspiration for the public and will continue to do so into the future. This is why the Government is fully supportive of our athletes competing at the highest level of international competition. However, it is ultimately international sporting federations who are responsible for deciding how to carry out their competitions and who may participate. International federations, in this case UEFA, have a leadership role for their global games, and it is at this level that strategic decisions should be taken rather than by individual countries’ NGBs.

Sentiment score: 0.34

The FAI has decided to play the fixtures against Israel in accordance with their obligations as members of UEFA. While there is speculation that the FAI may request that UEFA allow the game to be moved to a neutral venue abroad, this is ultimately a decision for the FAI to make. While the decision to fulfil the fixtures, or not, is a matter for the FAI, it is important to note that not fulfilling the games could have serious sporting consequences for the Irish team, including losing points, relegation in Nations League standings, weaker seeding for Euro 2028 qualification and harm to its FIFA ranking.

Sentiment score: -0.08

At an operational level, I understand that the FAI is continuing to engage with An Garda Síochána to ensure appropriate preparation for and policing of the home leg of the fixture. The FAI is also engaging with the Norwegian Football Association which hosted a match against Israel in November last year to see if any learnings from its experience can be applied to preparations for the upcoming game in Ireland. Norway played the away leg of its World Cup qualifiers against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary. The FAI is also engaging with the Palestinian Football Association to gather its views on how to prepare for the match.

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In addition, the FAI has engaged with the Israeli Football Association, which has confirmed that it does not expect a significant number of Israeli fans to travel to Ireland for the fixture. In accordance with UEFA rules, home legs of fixtures cannot be played in another jurisdiction unless concerns are raised about the capacity for the fixture to be held securely and safely. In this instance, An Garda Síochána has confirmed that it is prepared to police the home game. While there has been a wholesale exclusion of Russia from most international sporting events, this exclusion is built upon international consensus, driven by international sporting bodies and, within the EU, is linked to sanctions against Russia following its illegal invasion of Ukraine.

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No such international consensus exists in relation to Israel. The decision made by RTE in December 2025, to neither participate in nor broadcast the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest due to Israel’s ongoing participation has been referred to in debates. This was an independent decision taken by the State broadcaster, which is legally and editorially independent of Government. Sport Ireland, which is funded by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, including the allocation of funding across its various programmes. The Sport Ireland-recognised NGBs play a key role in helping to deliver on the strategic priorities identified in the national sports policy.

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The funding delivered via Sport Ireland to NGBs is not tied to the operational or administrative models used by NGBs, nationally or locally. All NGBs are independent, autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own governance and decision making, including regarding the organisation of and participation in, international sporting competitions. As Minister of State with responsibility for sport, I have no role in how NGBs organise their sports-----

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-----or in their day-to-day operational functions and nor, indeed, does the Oireachtas or Government. It would not be appropriate for me to intervene-----

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I thank the Cathaoirleach.

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The FAI is completely within its rights to fulfil its international fixtures, and the Government acknowledges its right to do so. For these reasons, the Government proposes to amend the wording of this motion, as submitted to the House.

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