Across Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, civilians are living through devastation, fear and displacement on a scale that should shock the conscience of the world. Families are burying children. Communities are being destroyed. Humanitarian conditions are catastrophic. We know this and I think we all agree on this. While international attention has shifted in recent weeks towards the broader regional crisis involving Iran, I want to say clearly that Palestine will not be pushed aside and will not be forgotten. The suffering of the Palestinian people is not secondary to other geopolitical events. It must remain at the centre of international attention and international action. I have advocated for this at every Council meeting I have attended since being appointed in November. We know there is no meaningful peace in Gaza and no real ceasefire in Lebanon while civilians continue to live under threat and violence continues. We urgently need de-escalation, diplomacy and a path towards a lasting political solution, not temporary pauses that leave civilians trapped in fear and insecurity. Ireland remains deeply concerned about the conflicts across the Middle East and Gulf region. I continue to follow developments closely, but importantly I remain in close contact with EU and regional partners in responding to this crisis. I raised these issues directly again this week at the foreign affairs Council in Brussels. I spoke at length about the situation in Palestine and the urgent need for Europe to act with greater resolve. Ireland’s position has been consistent and clear. I believe, as we all do, that Palestinians have the right to live in dignity, freedom and security in their own state. I believe Israelis and Palestinians both deserve peace and safety and I believe international law must apply equally to all states, in all circumstances. That principle guides my approach and that of the Government to this conflict and to the measures I will outline. Ireland’s position since the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been steadfast. We remain committed to working with key partners to end the conflict in Gaza, advance a sustainable peace plan and, most importantly, address the immense challenges facing Palestinians in Gaza and the wider implications for regional stability and security. I remain committed to supporting a unitary Palestinian state consisting of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. I remain committed as well to achieving a just and lasting peace where Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in two states, Israel and Palestine, in peace, security and dignity within the agreed borders. I have spoken directly with my Palestinian counterpart many times in recent weeks again and assured her of Ireland’s full support for the Palestinian people and for the implementation of the two-state solution. Since taking office, I have also taken a number of concrete actions which I will outline today. Although the ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 offered a moment of hope and relief, the reality for civilians in Gaza remains unbearable. Since that agreement began, 834 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than 2,300 injured in ongoing Israeli military operations. Those are not just numbers. We know they are children, parents, families and entire communities whose lives have been shattered. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated even further since the outbreak of the conflict involving Iran. Border closures have intensified these already desperate conditions. One crossing remains the sole operational entry point for aid and commercial supplies, creating severe bottlenecks that continue to limit deliveries and deepen shortages. I saw this in my visit to the region at the beginning of the year. Today, the people of Gaza continue to endure unimaginable suffering. Access to water, healthcare and shelter remains wholly inadequate. Diseases linked to overcrowding and poor living conditions are rife. None of us who hear these stories of parents trying to shield their children from rats and infestation can remain untouched by the horror of what is unfolding. We are all feeling this and want to do everything we can to support them. Behind every statistic are human beings trying to survive and get through another day. I do not believe anybody can look at the humanitarian situation and conclude that the international response has been adequate. It has not. This is why I and the Government have consistently called for unrestricted humanitarian access into and throughout Gaza. Israel must immediately remove restrictions on aid access and facilitate the delivery of essential supplies and services throughout Gaza, notwithstanding the wider regional security situation. All crossings must be reopened. When I travelled to Rafah earlier this year, my first bilateral visit in this role, I saw first-hand the scale of the suffering and the urgency of the need. Most importantly, I spoke to those engaging on the ground, doing a job there and who have lost colleagues in this conflict who were simply trying to help and protect those who need our help the most. That visit and those conversations and engagement that I had have stayed with me and reinforced my belief that we need to do everything we can collectively. We need a more unified and stronger response from Europe. It has reinforced my determination that we must speak clearly and act concretely but we need more happening at a European level. During that visit, I announced the Government will provide €42 million in assistance to the people of Palestine who urgently need that support. In particular, it will be ensured that funding is provided to organisations like UNRWA, the Palestinian Authority and many important organisations on the ground. I have also remained focused on the extremely serious situation in the West Bank. We all know that this continues to deteriorate rapidly. Israeli military operations have caused widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and homes. At least 40,000 people have been displaced since January 2025. The scale, speed and severity of displacement and demolitions are unprecedented and continues in an atmosphere of impunity. Settlement expansion, forced displacement and settler violence have accelerated dramatically. Entire Palestinian communities are being pushed from their homes while extremist violence continues with impunity. In recent weeks, the Israeli security cabinet approved 34 new settlements in the West Bank, the largest number approved at one time by any Israeli Government. This represents a vast 78% increase in the total number of settlements. These are not isolated developments. They form part of an established pattern designed to create a new status quo in the occupied Palestinian territory. Let us call this what it is: these actions consistently contravene international law. I agree with the Deputy on this. We are not disagreeing on any of this. These actions threaten the viability of the two-state solution altogether, a solution that we absolutely support. The Israeli Parliament also passed a Bill on 30 March mandating death by hanging as the default punishment for West Bank residents convicted of terrorist acts by military courts. I utterly condemn this law passed by the Israeli Parliament expanding the scope of the death penalty and reviving its implementation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. We oppose the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances. The right to life is absolutely fundamental and universal. We are all particularly concerned by the discriminatory nature of this legislation as it relates to Palestinians. I fully understand, and I share, the depth of feeling of many people in Ireland, in this House and in the Gallery about the ongoing suffering in Palestine. People want to see action. They want to see accountability. They want to know that international law still matters and that civilian lives matter equally. This is why I want to explain clearly, despite sharing many of the concerns that motivate this Bill, that I do not believe this legislation is the most effective or legally sustainable path forward. The Bill before the House would, in practice, amount to a blanket prohibition on trade in all goods, and certain services, between Ireland and Israel. In effect, it amounts to a boycott, divestment and sanctions approach with respect to Israel. The Government does not support that approach, although we fully recognise the right of individuals and organisations to make their own decisions in this regard. We do not operate a unilateral domestic sanctions regime. Instead, Ireland implements EU sanctions and UN sanctions through the EU framework. This Bill would amount to a blanket ban without any exemptions or derogations. It is well understood that EU sanctions regimes are designed carefully to avoid and mitigate unintended consequences, including consequences for civilian populations and access to essential goods such as food, medicines and emergency supplies. Again, this Bill would amount to a blanket ban without exemptions for any of these elements. There are important reasons, therefore, that this approach has not generally been taken in modern sanctions regimes relating to other conflicts, and the Government does not believe that it is the right approach here. I and this Government believe that the strongest and most impactful route remains co-ordination at EU level, particularly in relation to the Israeli settlements and trade connected to the occupied Palestinian territories. This is an area where Ireland has shown leadership. I have repeatedly argued for stronger action, including sanctions on extremist settlers, restrictions relating to illegal settlements and the suspension of trade provisions under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Earlier this week, EU member states reached political agreement at our Foreign Affairs Council to sanction Israeli extremist settlers, entities and those enabling violence in the West Bank. I appreciate that step was overdue but it matters. On 18 April, Ireland, alongside Spain and Slovenia, wrote to the High Representative, Kaja Kallas, again expressing deep concern regarding Israeli Government actions and calling for urgent discussion of the association agreement. Ahead of that discussion, I was clear in calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The EU’s review of the agreement in 2025 found Israel to be in clear breach of its obligations. That situation continues, and that is why, with my colleagues from Spain and Slovenia, we wrote to ensure that this matter was raised at the Council and that we would make progress and take action on it. At the Foreign Affairs Council this week, I again called on EU partners to suspend the trade-related provisions of the agreement. Europe still needs to go further, however, and we will continue to press for further action, because if the international community continues to issue statements without consequences, the credibility of international law for all of us is weakened. The House will recall that on 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice, ICJ, delivered its advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory - a case in which Ireland, alongside more than 50 other states, made written and oral submissions. Since then, Ireland has continued to push for meaningful action at EU level, including restrictions on trade connected to illegal settlements. At this week’s Foreign Affairs Council, I and others again called on the European Commission to bring forward proposals ahead of the June Council meeting, with a view to taking a vote on this issue. It would not just be a vote to ban or suspend the trade element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement but a vote with a view to banning trade with the occupied territories. In Brussels this week, a growing number of member states either joined this call, sought a vote or expressed a readiness to consider such a proposal. This is the first time I have seen this in the number of Councils that I have attended. Again, I appreciate that it is far beyond time for this to happen but it matters and it is progress. We need to continue, and I will continue to progress and to press for this approach. Ireland has also consistently underlined the important distinction between the State of Israel and Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law and are not recognised as part of Israel by the European Union, its member states and the overwhelming majority of UN member states. This distinction, again, is important. At the same time, Ireland will continue to take action domestically. Here at home, work is continuing on the commitment in the programme for Government to progress legislation prohibiting the importation of goods from occupied Palestinian territories following the ICJ advisory opinion. In June 2025, last summer, the Government approved the general scheme of the Israeli Settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (prohibition of importation of goods) Bill 2025. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade subsequently held hearings, received submissions and represented a broad range of perspectives, all of which were then fed to me and my Department and Government. The primary purpose of that legislation is to prohibit the importation into Ireland of goods originating in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. I thank Senator Black for her work in this regard and for her continued engagement with the Government. Legally, the regulation of services is significantly more complex at an EU level than the regulation of goods. That is why I have been engaging with the Attorney General who has provided detailed and extensive advice on whether the inclusion of services would be permissible but also on how we would progress this legislation more broadly. We have sought clarification on a number of different elements of this legislation. We need to make sure that anything we introduce is legally robust and capable of withstanding challenge but also that we can advance our broader policy objectives effectively. What I and the Government have always said is that where we work with member states, with colleagues together, we are stronger. I am engaging closely with my Dutch, Spanish, Slovenian and Belgian Government colleagues regarding their own approaches. Other governments are now moving on legislation. I remain absolutely committed to taking meaningful action in response to breaches of international law, international humanitarian law and human rights. I remain convinced that action at EU level will ultimately have the greatest impact. We need to make sure that what we are going has an impact, that it changes the behaviour of the Israeli Government and above all, that it brings peace and solutions for those in Gaza and the West Bank and for Palestine more broadly. I want to be clear that I distinguish between the actions of the current Israeli Government and the Israeli people. Ireland's goal has always been to focus on peace, security and dignity for both Palestinians and Israelis. This is a goal shared by many Israeli citizens themselves. Our own history on this island teaches us of the danger of division, dehumanisation and endless cycles of violence. It also teaches us the importance of political courage and international support in building peace. This month marks two years since Ireland recognised the State of Palestine alongside Spain and Norway and later joined by Slovenia. I remain convinced that recognition was the right decision. It was taken against the backdrop of an intolerable humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the shrinking space for Palestinian life in the West Bank and the urgent need for injecting fresh momentum into efforts towards a just and lasting peace. At the time some argued it would make no difference but I disagreed then and continue to disagree now. Since that decision, international momentum behind Palestinian recognition has grown significantly, including across Europe. We have tried consistently to show leadership, not just in words but in action and to that effect, in January, following my visit to the region, I hosted a meeting of the global alliance for the implementation of the two-state solution, where Ireland shared lessons from our own peace process with regional partners and other states committed to peace. We will continue in that regard. Finally, we must make sure our measures are effective, legally sound and capable of building broader international support. Nobody should mistake my opposition or the Government's opposition to this Bill for silence or indifference. I will continue to press for stronger international action and to advocate for accountability. I am committed to progressing the occupied territories Bill and will continue to speak clearly about the unbearable suffering being endured by civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon because Palestine is being overlooked. The world cannot allow this suffering to become normalised.

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I have said we will progress it.

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We will----

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